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It’s that exciting, hopeful time of year again: All the seed catalogs have arrived and it’s time to plan your garden and buy seeds. But what most gardeners don’t know is that Bayer Monsanto has been devouring the seed market faster than a rabbit can eat your lettuce!
In 2005, Monsanto (now Bayer) grabbed 40% of the U.S. seed market and 20% of the global seed market when it bought out Seminis, making them the largest seed company in the world—supplying the genetics for 55% of the lettuce on U.S. supermarket shelves, 75% of the tomatoes, and 85% of the peppers, as well as many varieties of beans, cucumbers, squash, melon, broccoli, cabbage, spinach and peas.
And Bayer Monsanto (closely followed by Corteva and Chemchina) has been buying up every seed company they can ever since, forming a subsidiary they now call “Vegetables by Bayer.” This means that a gardener or homesteader could buy regular garden seeds, and unknowingly be giving money to Bayer Monsanto—if the seeds in the catalog were supplied by Vegetables by Bayer.
So, planting a GMO-free garden is not so simple as buying certified organic or heirloom seed anymore, now that Bayer Monsanto owns so many common seed varieties. In fact, Bayer’s non-GMO seeds are now carried by many popular garden catalogs (including Burpee), and most large chains of nurseries and hardware stores.
Bayer’s Dirty Little Secret
Aside from trying to dominate the global seed market and make everyone in the world their hostage customer, one of the main reasons that Bayer/Monsanto and other biotech companies have bought up so many seed companies is so they can use the germplasm (DNA) of those non-GMO varieties in their future GMO products.
The dirty little secret of the GMO industry is that most of the traits that they brag about trying to create (like drought tolerance, greater nutrition, etc.) were actually created by traditional breeding.
In essence, by buying up all the seed companies, they can literally steal the work done by thousands of gardeners and farmers over generations to produce quality seeds with beneficial growing traits. Then they can slip a “Round-Up Ready” or other proprietary gene into it and call it their “own”, and then sell it with patent restrictions.
This is not a company any gardener would want to support.
Related
- The Difference Between Open Pollinated Seeds, Hybrid Seeds and GMOs
- The 10 Best Seed Companies for Heirloom and Non-GMO Seeds
- The Best Vegetable Garden Planning Apps
How to Find Non GMO Seeds
So, how can you make sure that none of the seeds you buy this year are supporting Bayer/Monsanto or one of the companies owned by them—even when you’re buying non-GMO seeds for your garden?
Here are four ways to keep Bayer/Monsanto out of your garden:
1. Choose Heirloom Seeds
Buy, plant and save heirloom seeds that only come from companies that don’t get their stock from Seminis or Bayer/Monsanto. (Here’s a list of 10 of the best.) The Seed Saver’s Exchange has information on how to collect and store seeds, so you can maintain your own supply.
2. Avoid Companies That Sell Bayer Monsanto Products
This database shows you what stores carry Bayer/Monsanto and Seminis seeds near you. This is a Bayer site that tells you who they sell to, so you know who to avoid.
3. Avoid Buying Bayer Monsanto Non-GMO Products
There are many vegetable seed varieties that are trademarked by Bayer/Monsanto or Seminis, including popular tomato varieties such as ‘Celebrity,’ ‘Early Girl,’ and ‘Better Boy,’ as well as a host of other common home garden varieties, like ‘Cheddar’ cauliflower and ‘Marketmore 76’ cucumbers. These are NOT GMO varieties, but their purchase does line the pockets of Bayer Monsanto. Here’s a list.
4. Choose Companies That Take the Safe Seed Pledge
Ask your favorite seed companies if they have taken the Safe Seed Pledge and if they have tested their stock for GMOs. (Here’s a list of seed companies who have.)
While the Safe Seed Pledge is voluntary and non-binding, a seed company that signs it is making a clear statement about their values. It reads:
“Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants. The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families or kingdoms poses great biological risks, as well as economic, political and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing is necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately healthy people and communities.“
—The Safe Seed Pledge
Please spread the word among other gardeners you know to be cautious when buying seeds and seedlings for their gardens this year. If you are in doubt, call your seed company.
Together, we can build momentum for a more sustainable world, one garden at a time!
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