There are several actually, but I'm really, really mad at Monsanto in particular. You see, Monsanto genetically modified soy beans to make them resistant to Round Up, a Monsanto herbicide farmers and others use to kill weeds. If a farmer planted Monsanto's soy beans she could spray her soybean fields with Round Up to kill weeds without harming the soybean plants.
Some farmers, did not need or want Monsanto's genetically-modified seeds. Such farmers often saved seeds from their own crops to plant the next year, and had been doing so for years before Monsanto got in the business of messing with Mother Nature. Take, for instance, Farmer A, who didn't buy Monsanto's seeds but continued to use seeds from his previous crop. But when Farmer A's neighbor bought and planted Monsanto's soybeans, the pollen from his soybeans drifted into Farmer A's fields, fertilized the flowers and thus transferred the modified gene to his seed stock.
How Monsanto knew this occurred I will never understand, but Monsanto sued Farmer A for patent infringement and won. In fact, Monsanto has brought and won many patent-infringement lawsuits in recent years. (Just Google Monsanto lawsuit.)
This, in effect, makes Monsanto the owner of every soybean to be used as seed. Farmers will have no choice but to buy Monsanto's genetically-modified seed. Monsanto has proven that it pays to mess with Mother Nature – at least it pays the corporation, but certainly not the farmer. I am the daughter of a small farmer, and I am outraged by Monsanto's infringement on the rights of farmers to save and plant seeds from their own crops.
Oh, yes, Monsanto also has genetically-modified alfalfa, sugar beets, cotton, canola and more. If this were to continue Monsanto could conceivably have a monopoly on all kinds of seeds, and would not permit me to save seeds from my garden.
I also am outraged by President Obama's appointment of a Monsanto vice-president as senior advisor to the commissioner of the Federal Drug Administration. It tells me the president doesn't know beans about agriculture.
Some farmers, did not need or want Monsanto's genetically-modified seeds. Such farmers often saved seeds from their own crops to plant the next year, and had been doing so for years before Monsanto got in the business of messing with Mother Nature. Take, for instance, Farmer A, who didn't buy Monsanto's seeds but continued to use seeds from his previous crop. But when Farmer A's neighbor bought and planted Monsanto's soybeans, the pollen from his soybeans drifted into Farmer A's fields, fertilized the flowers and thus transferred the modified gene to his seed stock.
How Monsanto knew this occurred I will never understand, but Monsanto sued Farmer A for patent infringement and won. In fact, Monsanto has brought and won many patent-infringement lawsuits in recent years. (Just Google Monsanto lawsuit.)
This, in effect, makes Monsanto the owner of every soybean to be used as seed. Farmers will have no choice but to buy Monsanto's genetically-modified seed. Monsanto has proven that it pays to mess with Mother Nature – at least it pays the corporation, but certainly not the farmer. I am the daughter of a small farmer, and I am outraged by Monsanto's infringement on the rights of farmers to save and plant seeds from their own crops.
Oh, yes, Monsanto also has genetically-modified alfalfa, sugar beets, cotton, canola and more. If this were to continue Monsanto could conceivably have a monopoly on all kinds of seeds, and would not permit me to save seeds from my garden.
I also am outraged by President Obama's appointment of a Monsanto vice-president as senior advisor to the commissioner of the Federal Drug Administration. It tells me the president doesn't know beans about agriculture.
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