Rapid Rise in Seed Prices Draws U.S. Scrutiny

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times

Rapid Rise in Seed Prices Draws U.S. Scrutiny
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Published: March 11, 2010

During the depths of the economic crisis last year, the prices for many goods held steady or even dropped. But on American farms, the picture was far different, as farmers watched the price they paid for seeds skyrocket. Corn seed prices rose 32 percent; soybean seeds were up 24 percent.

Such price increases for seeds — the most important purchase a farmer makes each year — are part of an unprecedented climb that began more than a decade ago, stemming from the advent of genetically engineered crops and the rapid concentration in the seed industry that accompanied it.

The price increases have not only irritated many farmers, they have caught the attention of the Obama administration. The Justice Department began an antitrust investigation of the seed industry last year, with an apparent focus on Monsanto, which controls much of the market for the expensive bioengineered traits that make crops resistant to insect pests and herbicides.

The investigation is just one facet of a push by the Obama administration to take a closer look at competition — or the lack thereof — in agriculture, from the dairy industry to livestock to commodity crops, like corn and soybeans.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/business/12seed.html

[WCGreen]

1. Good...

[nosmokes]

2. This is no surprise to anyone that pays a whit of attention

to food and ag issues, and while an investigation is good news, I'm highly skeptical of the claim that the admin is making a *big push* to take a closer look at competition in agriculture. That must be why the USDA/FDA is now chock full o ex Monsanto execs.

[SpiralHawk]

3. "Smirk." - Monsanto (R)

"Too bad about you hungry American proles. Smirk." - Monsanto (R)

[glinda]

15. Heard them on MPR today bragging "helping poor and starving". Blech*

[SpiralHawk]

4. Why this thread got bounced from news to GDP is unfathomable?

Hello?

When food prices skyrocket -- following seed price increases -- that will damn well be news no matter where you have to go to learn about it...

[RC]

5. At least it hasn't gone to the dungeon yet.

[SpiralHawk]

6. but will wither from general neglect

until the news hits the kitchen table with a hollow ring...

[Javaman]

8. I could make that happen, if I...

mention an event that happened 9 years ago and somehow link it to seed prices and then go on to extrapolate how it's all connected via a huge cabal of mutant racehorses.

But I won't.

[glitch]

13. Perhaps the NYT is no longer considered a reputable source. After the ACORN debacle

that wouldn't surprise me. Seriously though, this is an article from today so either it was a mistake or there is a confusion as to what qualifies as news.

[northernlights]

21. I read a poston a blog about this, from someone in Kansas

she's noticed a lot less green shoots in the local fields than normal. Asked around and has found that planting in her local area was about 1/3 of normal due to farmers being unable to afford to plant full crops.

She didn't know if this was a very local phenomenon or not, but gave a heads up re: possibly skyrocketing bread costs this summer.

[No Elephants]

7. If you love Big Health, you'll love Big Food even more. America's real death panels.

[bluesmail]

9. Aaargh, Grrrr and Vomit on Monsanto! Will it never end? This never-ending circle of

b. s. Sickening. Those seeds belong to everybody. (sickening) Just sickening. (sickening) Just sickening.

[northernlights]

22. those seeds don't belong to everybody, but then nobody wants them anyway

humans and animals weren't meant to ingest large amounts of b.t. They fucked with the statistics to hide the damage their gmo seeds do to our bodies, by not segregating populations. They impact men and women differently, due to differences in our hormones. But you merge the populations and the numbers with damage to kidneys in one sex and liver in the other average out to within normal ranges. :grr: :grr: :grr:

[depakid]

10. Let me know when the first action is taken that actually deals a blow to these monopolies

and oligopolies.

Thus far "taking a closer look" doesn't mean very much in this administration.

[salguine]

12. + infinity

[riderinthestorm]

14. This is only sort-of news because farmers are buying seed now.

At least some degree of outrage has registered.

But you are so right. That will fade and nobody will pay attention in another 6 months.

[bvar22]

11. Meet Obama's Secretary of Agriculture

Tom Vilsack

"* Vilsack has a glowing reputation as being a schill for agribusiness biotech giants like Monsanto. Sustainable ag advocated across the country were spreading the word of Vilsack's history as he was attempting to appeal to voters in his presidential bid. An activist from the west coast even made this youtube animation about Vilsack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmoc4Qgcm4s
The airplane in this animation is a referral to the controversy that Vilsack often traveled in Monsanto's jet."

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_15573.cfm

Just Google "Monsanto Vilsack" to find out who has the president's ear in the Obama Administration.
Somehow, I just don't think anything is going to get done for ordinary Working Americans.
These people did not get appointed to these positions by accident.


The DLC New Team
Progressives Need NOT Apply

(Screen Capped from the DLC Website)

[Lorien]

17. And there you have it. nt

[applegrove]

16. They deemed that seeds could become the property of corporations.

Now they have created an industry that needs to be regulated. What can we learn from this? Don't make the commons private property.

[boppers]

18. Super-seed = super-expensive.

Yet another reason to buy organics, as the "cheap food" is really just cost-shifting, favoring big agriculture over small farmers.

[RC]

19. But the problem is, organics get contaminated from Monsanto's frankincrops.

Then Monsanto goes after the farmer for growing frankincrops without a Monsanto license and puts the innocent victim out of business with attorney fees.

[northernlights]

23. the organic growers need to get together and sue Monsanto

for damages due to contaminating and ruining their organic crops. :grr: :grr: :grr:

[boppers]

24. Case in point

http://www.percyschmeiser.com/

He was growing his own seed, but parts of his fields wound up being Roundup-ready. He had to take it to the Canadian supreme court.

[Grinchie]

20. The "Super Seed" isn't so super.

I read an interesting article on AcresUSA regarding fertilizer and "Hitting the Wall". A scientist discovered that you can only use so much fertilizer on a crop for maximum yield. After that sweet spot, production actually goes down, other soil nutrients become biologically unavailable, and yields and nutrition of the crops actually diminish.

It goes on to point out that fertilizer application go on year after year, and gradually build up in the soil, but the farmers keep adding the same amount, not knowing that the stuff added to the soil previously, is adding to the total amount of fertilizer in the soil, and so inexplicably their yield suffers, and the soil becomes generally more and more infertile.

It struck me how similar to the human bodis metabolism this is.. For example, if our Kreb's cycle did not produce inhibitor enzymes as a product of creating energy, we woul most likely burn up in fever as the runaway energy product skyrocketing in a linear fashion. Instead, we create just the right amount of energy, which slows down and the biochemical process adds inhibitors to prevent a runaway reaction.

I would not doubt for one minute that Monsanto and the rest of the Agrichemical industry is also breeding plants to be more "Resistant" to hitting the wall in regards to overfertilization. It's a natural progression from Herbicide tolerance to Fertilizer tolerance.. Plus, it creates an even bigger market for the same consumption of Fertilizer and greater consumption of Herbicides, which also build up in the soil and destroy beneficial organisms as well.

People are such specialists that they are blind to the reality of living things, and would rather make them into widgets we can produce at our beck and call. If this continues, it won't be long until everything will be fair game for manipulation, creating a Bladerunner type world where anything and everything is fair game for the geneticists.

Man is created from the same stuff as an earthworm. It's a biochemical fact. We just come from a different pattern.

[Vinca]

25. It seems the prices for home gardeners have also increased.

You used to be able to buy a fairly substantial packet of seeds for a couple of bucks, not anymore.