SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
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: 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.