Many thanks to local grower Ray Diggins of Grizzly Hill Organic Farm & Nursery who passed this info on from a discussion group he belongs to.

As we all know, megacorporations such as Monsanto and Bayer have for some time now been attempting to wrap their greedy tentacles around life itself. Now they are buying up small and regional seed companies so that they can inseminate these formerly independent seed lines with their own GMO Frankenseeds. Their ultimate goal is to strip humanity of our natural, open-source heritage so that they can claim ownership of all plant life and charge a premium price to anyone who wishes to grow or reproduce the plants that they control — even crops that are unintentionally cross-pollinated!

This is pure evil and must be stopped — so what we must do is make our money do the talking!

Here is a bit of background on the main players and a list of the seed companies that are dealing Frankenseeds so that you can spend your money wisely.

Paul

From: Ray Diggins

BE SURE TO DO MORE RESEARCH THIS YEAR WHEN BUYING YOUR SEEDS
THE LIST ATTACHED CAME FROM KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY.
LOOK BEFORE YOU BUY AND TALK TO YOUR SEED SUPPLIER:

Is Monsanto determined to own all the seed in the world?

Monsanto began aggressively moving into the vegetable seed arena with the $1.4 billion purchase in 2005 of California-based Seminis, which gave Monsanto control over more than 30 percent of the North American vegetable seed market, as well as more than 20 percent of the world’s tomato seed market and more than 30 percent of the global hot pepper seed market.

Last year, Monsanto formed the International Seed Group Inc (ISG) as a holding company for the company’s growing investments in regional vegetable and fruit seed businesses.

Unlike the Seminis business, which is primarily directed at the open-field vegetable market, the bulk of Monsanto owned De Ruiter’s business is for greenhouse growers, known as the “protected culture market,” which Monsanto said is the fastest-growing area of the vegetable seed industry today.

Monsanto’s vegetable seed business will now include De Ruiter Seeds, the “protected-culture” vegetable seed market; Seminis, the open-field vegetable seed market; and the International Seed Group, which will serve the regional seed businesses.”

Monsanto is not the only chemical company buying up small seed companies. Syngenta and Bayer are also buying up regional seed companies. In the corn seed business it is hard to buy seed that is not owned by Monsanto, Syngenta or Dow.

Here is an interesting post on Seed companies supplied by Monsanto. If you think it is relevant please pass it on to the growing food and justice community

All of these seed companies are owned by Monsanto or buy seed from Seminis or other seed companies, which are owned by Monsanto.

* Territorial Seeds (I have contacted Territorial and they are sending a list of seeds they buy from Seminis) [Ed. - see their response below...]
* Totally Tomato
* Vermont Bean Seed Co.
* Burpee
* Cook’s Garden
* Johnny’s Seeds [see also Johnny's response below...]
* Earl May Seed
* Gardens Alive
* Lindenberg Seeds
* Mountain Valley Seed
* Park Seed
* T&T Seeds
* Tomato Growers Supply
* Willhite Seed Co.
* Nichol’s
* Rupp
* Osborne
* Snow
* Stokes
* Jungs
* R.H. Shumway
* The Vermont Bean Seed Company
* Seeds for the World
* Seymour’s Selected Seeds
* HPS
* Roots and Rhizomes
* McClure and Zimmerman Quality Bulb Brokers
* Spring Hill Nurseries
* Breck’s Bulbs
* Audubon Workshop
* Flower of the Month Club
* Wayside Gardens
* Park Bulbs
* Park’s Countryside Garden

Recently on a gardening forum in which I participate, a list of various seed companies now owned by or supplied by Monsanto was posted. This is relevant because or Monsanto’s commitment to GMO’s, continued efforts to control the world seeds, and the resultant numerous lawsuits as a result of their effort to control the market by placing genetic markers in seeds which Monsanto “owns” I was so shocked to discover Johnny’s and Territorial Seeds on the list that I immediately wrote to them to ask if it was true…

JOHNNY’S: Response: ” We have no affiliation with Monsanto. I would kindly ask you to read about “Who owns Johnny’s Selected Seeds” on our website. For more insight on this subject, please visit the following link: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-ownership.aspx However they did not mention Seminis or other any other Monsanto affiliate.

TERRITORIAL: Response: While Territorial continues to be owned privately, by Tom & Julie Johns, HOWEVER? -one of their seed suppliers, Seminis, is in fact owned by Monsanto. Over the course of my correspondence with staff from Territorial, they provided me with a list of the seeds currently purchased by Seminis, which I have attached. And I was told that the owners are ‘considering’ whether or not to continue using Seminis as a vendor. attached at the bottom of this email is a list of products sold by Territorial from Seiminis..

The following is a list of the current varieties of seed that Territorial admits “purchasing from” Seminis (Monsanto) :

BNO28 Romano Gold
ML463 Ambrosia
BN042 Liana
OK533 Cajun Delight
BN045 Etna
ON542 Mercury
BN059 Helda
ON544 First Edition
BR089 Small Miracle
ON558 Super Star
BR091 Packman
ON559 Candy
BR104 Early Dividend
PL643 Hamburg
BS121 Vancouver
PP663 Northstar
CF170 Early Dawn SG
PP673 Holy Mole
CF173 Fremont
PP674 Gypsy
CF188 Cheddar
PP679 Mulato Isleno
CN203 Seneca Horizon
PP684 Senorita
CN207 Passion
PU722 Snackjack
CN235 Obsession
PU727 Wyatt’s Wonder
CR266 Thumbelina
SP775 Correnta
CU294 Pearl
SP783 Oriental Giant
CU295 Cool Breeze
SQ792 Butterstick
CU302 Orient Express
SQ797 Gold Rush
CU305 Glacier
SQ798 Portofino
CU312 Babylon
SQ804 Sungreen
EG325 Dusky
SQ825 Early Butternut
EG332 Fairy Tale
SQ827 Ambercup
EG333 Twinkle
TM870 Celebrity
EG334 Hansel
TM871 Big Beef
LT387 Esmeralda
TM896 Viva Italia
LT388 Simpson Elite
TM914 Greenhouse 761
LT400 Summertime
TM924 Super Marzano
ML456 Fastbreak
TM938 Window Box Roma
ML458 Pulsar
WA989 Yellow Doll
ML459 Earlidew

I’m sending this information out in the hopes that you’ll consider writing to Territorial Seed – http://www.territorialseed.com – to request they terminate their relationship with Seminis, as well as expressing support for them as a company you’d continue to buy seeds from in the future. I can’t express enough how important it is for those of us who are dedicated to food security, and the ongoing availability of good, local, organic produce, to do whatever we can to prevent Monsanto from colonizing our primary sources of seed.

GOOD NEWS!!!
Fedco is one of the companies that are fighting to stay independent of corporate takeover – check out their website dedicated to the subject:

http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/monsanto.htm