? who owns seed companies

There is no law that gives Monsanto to the right to limit your ability to save seed. Rather, the prevention to do such is within the Technology Use Agreement/Contract which CLEARLY states that the user agrees to no save seed for replanting. The contract is binding, Monsanto is merely asserting their rights under the terms of the contract when they litigate against those who violate the contract.

To my knowledge one is not required to sign such a Technology Use Agreement when purchasing lettuce seeds at the local hardware store.

Jim

You are quite correct since there are no such vegetable varieties which would require it. However, there are a number of PVP varieties from which one may save seeds for their own personal use but not for resale. Laws governing that has been in force for 80 years.

Martin

The seed that Monsanto so aggressively protects is their "Round-up ready" soybean. That whole segment of Food, Inc. is about soybeans, including the man who had the old-fashioned seed-cleaner and business, and the blacklist of farmers who don't buy the Monsanto seed but won't allow their crops to be tested for cross-pollination. That GMO has taken over the world where soybeans are concerned. Food, Inc. said 80% of American soy. I'm gradually going to read through any websites for the various seed-package names I have, to see if I can trace them to other concerns.

Actually, since they have their GM seeds patented you are in violation of patent law by reproducing those genes. Whether they are for personal use or for sale.

I think they did give that story in Food Inc. that I described, I thought it was around Nebraska but I may be wrong.

U.S. allows seed patents also so they have them patented here also.

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U.S. Constitution -10th Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

"They" do not have any GM patented vegetable seeds available. All available PVP vegetable varieties are the result of conventional breeding.

Martin

http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto_tod...nd_patents.asp

From another page

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U.S. Constitution -10th Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

That has nothing to do with vegetables nor garden seeds. Neither are mentioned in the link and this thread was started in reference to those, not farm crops.

Martin

Guess its a big business.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0115-04.htm

__________________
U.S. Constitution -10th Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

You are avoiding the topic. Where do garden seed companies fit into this? Last released GMO vegetable became extinct over 10 years ago and that wasn't a Monsanto creation.

Martin

Their seed patent covers the use of cauliflower mosaic virus to genetically modify the genes by using the virus to allow new genes to take hold. So any of their GM seeds use it (I'm pretty sure) I'm no scientist but here's the patent http://www.pubpat.org/assets/files/M...605Request.pdf

and here's a little more about the Cauliflower mosaic virus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauliflower_mosaic_virus

Don't think that is their only patent and they are pretty new to the garden seed business so not sure how modified their garden seeds are but I'd sure stay away.

after more research only could find these GM products (also read that potatoes and tomatoes have been withdrawn) Although through cross pollination some genes may still be around.

potatoes
tomatoes
soy
long grain rice
corn
canola
Quest tobacco
cotton (used for cotton seed oil used in cooking)
Hawaiian papaya
zucchini and yellow squashes

Although Monsanto spends billions of dollars on research so who knows whats out and whats next.

__________________
U.S. Constitution -10th Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

None of those seeds are available to the public. Research and release may be close in the dictionary but have no connection in this case. Since there has been no GM vegetable seeds available in over 10 years, there can be no PVP disclaimer for something that does not exist.

Martin

Martin or anybody else... do different vegetable companies market the same variety of seed under different names like ag seed companies do?

Such as on this list http://public.sheet.zoho.com/public/...y-no?mode=html ?

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The internet - fueling paranoia and misinformation since 1873.

http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto_tod...nd_patents.asp Doesn't specify anything but their seed patents and seeds. Says nothing about what seeds.

Martin, don't you grow seeds? You wouldn't happen to grow for Monsanto would ya?

__________________
U.S. Constitution -10th Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

No, they can not. That was outlawed also back in the 1930s, as I recall. Some were grandfathered, so to speak, do to lack of genetic proof. One example that I've grown is John Baer and Gardener's Delight. Some claim that Bonny's Best is John Baer and Sugar Plum is Gardener's Delight.

Hybrids are another story since the 2 parents are often a closely-held secret within a company. Should someone somehow come up with the same combination, giving it another name may not be ethical but possible. Just as the first hybridizer would not have to disclose the parentage, neither would the second.

Martin

It was already established here several weeks ago that Monsanto does not have any vegetable seeds for sale. Didn't have any then, don't have any now!

I do grow seed and my income is whatever you are paying into Social Security!

Martin

Not under the Monsanto name but is the Better Boy hybrid not patented to Seminis? A subsidy of Monsanto.
Burpee's Big Boy?

I've grown some of these myself from seed packets bought at hardware stores.

Wouldn't reproducing a patented product be against patent law?

Is https://www.monsantovegetables.com a figment of my imagination?

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U.S. Constitution -10th Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Better Boy is not a PVP vegetable variety, nor is Burpee's Big Boy. Both are F1 hybrids. There have never been any restrictions against saving seeds from such vegetables. Besides, F2 seed planted back from either would no longer be Better Boy or Big Boy but whatever genetic combination each individual seed may produce.

Martin

We buy all our seed from Baker Creek Heirloom seeds. They are guaranteed gmo free and they have no affiliation with Monsanto/Seminis.

http://rareseeds.com/

Yes/no on that claim and Baker Creek will confirm it if pressed. They are on record as claiming that they have found a certain percentage of contaminated genes in their sweet corn. If 1,000 kernels are tested from a lot and none are found to be contaminated, they can not guarantee that kernel #1,001 is not contaminated. By admitting that some were found, there can never be a 100% guarantee since testing destroys the seed. Every reputable company knows that and that has been one of the factors in some dropping or never implementing the "safe seed pledge". Instead, most assume that if the majority of the gardeners are informed about GMO vegetable seeds, they will also be informed enough to know that there hasn't been one available in over 10 years. Probably something like thinking that gardeners are a few notches above the general public in regards to their intelligence and common sense. If so, I wholeheartedly agree!

But that's not the important thing. My mission will never change and that is simply to assure everyone that gardeners do not ever need to be afraid of what they plant. The seed growing industry does a pretty good job of producing quality products. If they fail, they find no buyers next year and their products vanish from seed catalogs. The seed retail industry insists upon only quality products since their existence depends upon satisfied repeat customers. It's been that way forever and any gardener with an ounce of intelligence should know that.

Martin

The Semenis seeds Johnny's sells are things like Celebrity tomato that aren't PVP protected. Hence, there are no regulations against saving the seed. Even if a product is PVP protected, you can still reproduce it for personal use. You just can't reproduce them for resale. In any event, the Semenis seeds sold by Johnnys are (at least the vast majority) hybrid seeds that most likely won't come true when grown from saved seed anyway.