Monsanto buyout rattles organic farmers
Toolbox
By JOSHUA LARKIN Staff Writer - Published: April 17, 2005
The snow is just about gone, and farmers are out in the fields. Within weeks, farm stands will open for business, but the earliest crops this season aren't radishes and lettuce, they're concerns and complaints.
Earlier this year, agribusiness giant Monsanto Co. announced it would pay about $1.4 billion for Seminis, the world's largest producer of fruit and vegetable seeds. And the reaction from local farmers and gardeners has been less than ecstatic. From consolidation to cross-pollination, seed producers and farmers throughout the state say they have concerns about the deal.
According to John Cleary, the organic certification director at the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, it's unclear whether Monsanto intends to introduce more genetically engineered varieties of vegetables into the market, but if the company does so it could pose problems for farmers and gardeners throughout the country.
"It raises questions," Cleary said. "Do home growers and smaller farmers know how to deal with genetically modified vegetables and can they deal with them?"
Cross pollination between genetically modified crops and non-modified crops is a major issue for many farmers. Laverne Lesznik, who owns an organic berry and culinary herb farm in Pittsford, said her products could be compromised by a neighbor growing genetically engineered crops in a nearby field.
"You get concerned about something turning up in your field," Lesznik said. "You know, birds and animals move things."
Monsanto, a world leader in biotechnology and agricultural chemicals, has been in the spotlight in recent years for its work with genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, in which genes from one type of organism are spliced into the genes of another to produce desired attributes, such as resistance to pesticides and insects.
In the past, Monsanto focused on the major agronomic crops such as corn, soybeans and cotton. The purchase of Seminis marks a push into a different market: vegetables.
C.R. Lawn, the founder of Fedco Seeds, a cooperatively owned seed distributor based in Waterville, Maine, said he doesn't think Monsanto has plans to introduce genetically engineered vegetable varieties in the near future. Over the long haul, though, Lawn isn't so sure.
"I don't see how, with the amount they're paying for the purchase of a company that's in debt no less, I don't see how they can not be moving in that direction," Lawn said. "My guess is that they're hoping that by getting into vegetables, they can green their image some and that eventually there will be more public acceptance of GMOs than there is right now."
Lori Fisher, a spokeswoman for Monsanto, said in a telephone interview Friday the company has no plans to introduce genetically engineered varieties of vegetables into the market.
"There's been no change at all in day-to-day operations at Seminis," Fisher said. "We recognize that they're the experts in vegetables and there's no need to make any changes."
Fisher said that Monsanto would not invest in a biotech platform for vegetables unless market studies indicate that's what consumers want. For now, she said, Monsanto's biotech research will remain focused on corn, soybeans and cotton.
The other concern farmers raise about the buyout is the negative effects of seed industry consolidation.
Based in Oxnard, Calif., Seminis currently sells 3,500 varieties of fruit and vegetable seeds throughout the world, controlling an estimated 40 percent of the U.S. market and 20 percent of the world market.
According to a January New York Times article by reporter Andrew Pollack, the purchase of Seminis will make Monsanto the world's largest seed and biotech company, surpassing Dupont in "revenues derived from seeds and biotech traits."
And that amount of control over seeds is deeply troubling to farmers in the state.
"It's just another example of a business wanting to have complete control from farm to table, which is dangerous," said Dave Hartshorn, owner of Hartshorn's Organic Produce in Waitsfield.
According to Cleary, consolidation in the seed industry could lead to a significant loss of the varieties of seeds that are currently available to growers. He said certain varieties that grow well in New England but don't have national appeal could be dropped, leaving farmers to scramble in search of adequate substitutes.
Tom Stearns, owner of High Mowing Seeds in Wolcott, said the buyout could be devastating to farmers, gardeners and seed distributors in the region.
"You know, a lot of growers in the Northeast have come to rely on many varieties that come from Seminis," Stearns said.
Another issue, he said, is more philosophical in nature. Many anti-GMO growers and seed distributors simply won't want their money winding up in Monsanto's hands, he said.
"Let's say you have five acres of green bell peppers and over the last two or three years you've found a few great varieties. They're disease resistant, they taste great, but they're Seminis seeds," Stearns said. "There's a battle within yourself now. Do you buy more seeds knowing that $500 of your seed purchase is going to Monsanto?"
That's exactly the problem facing Gregory Cox, owner of Boardman Hill Farm in West Rutland. Cox said he has used some Seminis varieties at his organic vegetable farm, but he's worried because "Monsanto hasn't been very friendly to my industry." Cox said he tends to stick with what works in terms of seed purchases, but buying Seminis seeds now would be a real issue.
"It's like sleeping with the devil," he said.
Fedco, which carries approximately 70 varieties of Seminis seeds and ships widely throughout Vermont, has similar concerns.
"There are a number of issues that concern us about Monsanto," Lawn said. "They have a reputation of not being a very farmer-friendly company and they're very aggressive in protecting their intellectual property rights. They've sued a lot of farmers who have allegedly infringed on those rights."
Given those concerns, Lawn said when he heard about the buyout, the company polled its customers and held staff meetings to decide whether to sell the product in the future. And the poll, which appeared in recent shipments of Fedco seeds, came as a shock to some purchasers.
"When this letter came through, it was a real whammy," said home gardener Carolyn Shapiro of Montpelier.
Shapiro said in her response to the poll she recommended that Fedco stop buying and selling Seminis seeds.
Lawn said after examining the poll results and listening to the thoughts of Fedco staff members, the company has decided to purchase a one-year supply of Seminis seeds and begin searching for substitute varieties. However, he said, even with the substitutes, a number of varieties will be missed.
Big Beef, Celebrity, and Sweet Baby Girl tomatoes would be hard to replace, as would Mars onions, Fat and Sassy peppers and Yellow Doll watermelons, he said.
"Some of the varieties are so outstanding that there's nothing quite comparable to them," Lawn said.
But not all farmers have concerns over Monsanto's latest acquisition. Merrill Legare operates a 300-acre farm along Route 14 in East Montpelier. Roughly 25 percent of his crop consists of vegetables he sells at three farm stands around the region.
Walking between trays of newly sprouted tomato plants, Legare said he doesn't use Seminis seeds and so the purchase doesn't affect him. Legare said consumers don't want GMO vegetables; he believes non-GMO varieties will still be the norm at the market.
When asked if he had concerns about possible cross-pollination of his crops, Legare smiled and shook his head.
"My nearest neighbors are a half mile away, so I'm not too worried about it."
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Louise Calderwood said she wasn't aware of the Seminis purchase and doesn't think it will have a major effect on Vermont's produce growers. She said many of Vermont's vegetable farmers grow organic crops and have sought seeds from distributors other than Seminis.
She said if genetically engineered seeds were sold in the state they would have to be labeled under Vermont law.
"From there, it's a matter of keeping the lines of communication open between neighbors," Calderwood said. Cross-pollination, she said, is not high up on the list of risk factors.
But Hartshorn, who doesn't buy Seminis seeds, said he feels any movement toward genetically engineered crops could jeopardize his livelihood.
"Indirectly I'm affected because organic crops are probably in danger of becoming less pure," he said. "And mark my words, there's going to be some controversy over this in this state, it's just a matter of time."
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