Text 13431, 42 rader
Skriven 2008-09-07 18:59:40 av Allen Prunty (1:2320/100)
     Kommentar till en text av Dave Sacerdote
Ärende: Small Farmers / Big Crops
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-----Original Message-----
 From: Dave Sacerdote [mailto:Dave Sacerdote@1:123/140]
 Posted At: Sunday, September 07, 2008 4:46 PM
 
-> AP> I still think it's a crock of ____ to trademark a seed.
-> 
-> Sorry, but as a writer, artist, and photographer, I disagree that
-> intellectual property should be free for anyone to take.  When the
-> 18-year certificate expires on Red Savinas in 2011, it won't be an
-> issue any more.  But Frank Garcia Jr. worked to develop that
-> cultivar - without, I might add, relying on gene-splicing or
-> other controversial technologies - and deserves to have a head
-> start on profiting from it.
-> 
-> AP> And it's absolutely criminal to hold a farmer liable when a
-> AP> big corp farm's pollen pollutes an innocent farmer's crop.
-> 
-> We agree on this.

I fully mean it in the sense of the big farms corps that bull the small
farmers after their crops are "cross pollinated" by trademarked seeds.
I have seen so many small corn farmers devastated because they no longer
can save some seed stock from the previous crop and have to pay a
premium because the old traditional heirloom seeds are hard to find.

One farmer that I am particularly close with and barter with all the
time for food raised the same corn that his great, great, great, great,
great grandfather raised saving the traditional seed stock.  It was
delicious... then came along Con-Agra and filed a patent complaint
against him and he had to buy new seed stock.  

This was good traditional yellow corn.  Now he raises the same super
sweet junk everyone else grows because that's the dominant seed in the
market now days and the traditional ones are so expensive he cannot get
enough to plant his entire field with them.


I prefer heirloom crops because they have fragrance and taste.  If I
want something that tastes that sweet, I would just buy a candy bar.

Allen
 * Origin: Cooking in the Derby City - http or telnet derbycityb (1:2320/100)