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Frank Morton has been breeding lettuce since the 1980s. His company offers 114 varieties, among them Outredgeous, which last year became the first plant that NASA astronauts grew and ate in space.
For nearly 20 years, Morton's work was limited only by his imagination and by how many different kinds of lettuce he could get his hands on. But in the early 2000s, he started noticing more and more lettuces were patented, meaning he would not be able to use them for breeding. The patents weren't just for different types of lettuce, but specific traits such as resistance to a disease, a particular shade of red or green, or curliness of the leaf.
Such patents have increased in the years since, and are encroaching on a growing range of crops, from corn to carrots — a trend that has plant breeders, environmentalists and food security experts concerned about the future of the food production.
https://ensia.com/features/open-source-seeds/
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 28 2016, @11:45PM
I avoid trademarked and/or patented crops.
It's not worth the hassle.
I haven't always been successful, because they don't always tell you up front. If there were one regulatory change I would require (aside from tearing down the stupid, broken system while I cheer) it would be requiring a massive, red-and-yellow warning on all such plants, seed bags, plantations, literature and so on, on pain of loss of patents, trademarks and similar regulated monopolies.
Want your special protections? Then tell us. Don't hide it. Or you're the mindless jerks who will be up against the wall right after your favourite politician when the revolution comes.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday December 29 2016, @02:17AM
It's difficult to walk into a feed/seed store, and find seeds that aren't patented. There are generally only two or three brands of seeds to choose from, and they are all encumbered. Even shopping online, you have to pick and choose. Alfalfa, for instance. Today, you can purchase alfalfa for planting almost any place in the US. But, all of those seeds have been engineered to survive in your area specifically. There are no open license alfalfa seed available for my frequently drought-stricken area. Planting natural seeds would ensure that the first really dry year would destroy the plants, it seems.
I don't know how a commercial operation can avoid licensing seed from the giga-dollar-corporations.
Remember the invasion of Iraq? Big Agri and their lawyers came running in on the heels of the army. http://markcrispinmiller.com/2013/03/us-forced-iraqis-to-buy-seeds-from-monsanto-and-now-were-all-under-the-gun-2/ [markcrispinmiller.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 29 2016, @02:47AM
It's difficult to walk into a feed/seed store,
What is this "walk into" to which you refer??
and find seeds that aren't patented
http://www.google.com/search?tbm=shop&q=intitle:heirloom.seeds [google.com]
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Thursday December 29 2016, @03:22AM
Walk into - commonly refers to the act of entering a brick and mortar establishemment to do business.
The place where I've done the most business over the years has it's own facefook page - https://www.facebook.com/seviercofarmerscoop/ [facebook.com]
This is where local farmers go, because they get what they need, when they need it, and generally get better quality than they can find elsewhere. The coop provides a lot of services, including researching precisely which seeds are expected to do well here, and those which don't do so well.
To find and plant heirloom seeds requires research that the coop cannot provide. As I pointed out already, heirloom alfalfa isn't going to do real well, here, in my part of the country. I am either going to purchase engineered seed, or I face the likelihood that I'll lose the crop soon. More, purchasing heirloom seed in commercial quantities is expensive, and unlikely to pay off in competition against genetically engineered seed.
There's a lot more to this equation, than just locating natural seeds online.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 29 2016, @07:32AM
So you have a few hundred acres that you plant in alfalfa.
Hopefully it seems worth it to plant some in the heirloom seed? Yes I know It's a pain in the ass when youre actually planting it, to stop, throw in a bag or two in the drill of all those weirdo seeds. And mark the areas. and maybe plan for buffer areas to keep the Roundup-Ready plants isolated from the heirloom seed, whether planting a belt of orchard grass buffer, whatnot. yes, more work still,.
Chances are you might do it occasionally bevause the seed guy is trying to get people like you to plant test blocks anyways. Certainly wheat, cirn & bean farmers do this.
It's ok to say it is all too much of a PITA. But it could be kinda fun too...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 29 2016, @05:41AM
You can do it - but you have to do your research. I do test plots of seed to see what works, and what doesn't. Yes, it's a bit more work, but it's worth it.
I also get to know some of the crusty, cranky old bastards who live in the hills, and buy seed from them. They don't patent, and if you suggested it they'd probably chase you off their land.
I like them.
(Score: 2) by jcross on Thursday December 29 2016, @03:37PM
Wow, Operation Iraqi Freedom my ass.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 29 2016, @02:35AM
Nobody religious should find the idea of patenting biology, whether bred or engineered, as sane.
Additionally, by and large this is an end run around selective breeding patents (yes, they are a thing!) that only allow 2 years of patent protection, as opposed to 'invention' patents which have a 10 year (is it 20 with extension?) patent protection window. I've forgotten most of the details on it, but the former mentioned patent law is a rather interesting read.
Having said that, my three plugs for non-GMO seeds:
rareseeds.com - US - Baker Creek Seed Co. - Best millenial success story :) Anti-GMO, concerned with the preservation of native seeds both local and abroad.
rarepalmseeds.com - EU - Huge quantity of non-gmo seeds of every variety, from fruits to pines to palms to assorted more exotic plants.
tradewindsfruit.com - US - Carries an insane stock of exotics, including Cacao, various breeds of coffee, and hundreds of other interesting plant varieties. Some overlap with the above sites, but also some unique.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Aiwendil on Thursday December 29 2016, @07:44AM
Best of all with trade winds. They publish (or at least used) the relevant phytosanitary certificates (if anyone wonder why this matters let's just say we want to avoid more plants suffering the fate of the americn chestnut [very interesting read btw]).
If anyone wants to try to grow cacao read up on it first (seeds needs to be fresh, seeds do not survive a cold spell, the plants are insanely picky. So, place an order well im advance of seesa becimning available) since it is the masterclass in growing plants if you do it outside its range.
For EU hobbyists jungleseeds.co.uk is very interesting for oddball seeds as well (UK based company that specialised in palma, they also have cacao in stock at times).
(I'm just an insane apartmentdwelling hobbyist)