OCM is sponsoring events across the U.S. to raise awareness about the problem of concentration in the seed industry. State Senator Wes Shoemyer helped coin the name, "Taking It Back: Bringing Fairness and Competition Back to the Seed Industry for Our Farmers," which we believe sums up pretty well how farmers, seed companies, and other agricultural producers feel about the task at hand: restoring competition to the U.S. crop seed industry.

The timing of these events and the opportunity to challenge Monsanto’s monopoly power couldn’t be better. Farmers have already caught wind of even higher seed prices for next year’s planting, fuel costs are not going down, and choice in seed is not expanding.

OCM held its first event on Saturday, July 12, 2008, in Stoutsville, Missouri. (Read a detailed overview of this event.) A diverse crowd of 164 gathered at Mark Twain State Park to rally for an open and fair seed industry. Farmers, seed companies, politicians, and non-governmental farm groups were well represented. 

Our diverse line-up of speakers included:

•    Bill Heffernan, Professor Emeritus of the University of Missouri at Columbia, spoke about the power relationships of agribusiness to farmers. 

•    James Robertson, a former Mississippi judge, spoke of his efforts litigating against Monsanto and the tactics they undertook.

•    Troy Roush, an Indiana farmer, spoke of his litigation experience with Monsanto wherein he spent $400,000 in defending himself against frivolous litigation. 

•    Moe Parr, an Indiana seed cleaner, also told of his recent legal battle with Monsanto, something he says has broken the trust between farmers in his community.

•    Wes Shoemyer spoke about his attempts to gain a remedy for producers under Missouri state law.

•    Derry Brownfield gave his usual colorful talk and shared his most recent experience with Monsanto.

Below are photos from this event.

Farmers Meet at Largest County Fair for OCM's Second "Taking It Back" Event

OCM sponsored its second “Taking It Back” event at the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa on September 11, 2008. Fifty-five people attended the meeting, including farmers, seed dealers and independent seed companies, local political figures, non-governmental farm groups, and local media. Those in attendance heard from two main speakers, Fred Kirschenmann and George Naylor, as well as comments from our co-chairs, Representative Mark Kuhn (District 14) and Representative Marcie Frevert (District 7). Read a Farm News piece about the event.

•    Representative Mark Kuhn, who is also a farmer, shared his experience and provided his insight regarding trends in seed pricing. He held up the latest edition of Farm Industry News, which asked on its title, “$500 Seed?” Representative Kuhn explained, "I've been approached by many seed dealers this year, so I know what seed corn is going for. I'm told a bag of seed with all the latest traits will cost me as much as $360 per bag. This is a real issue for farmers." 

•    Fred Kirschenmann, of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, gave an excellent talk. He provided an important message regarding the lack of seed varieties available to farmers today and the danger this poses to American agriculture, as well as the importance of different and new breeding agendas that work for farmers instead of industry. 

•    George Naylor, past president of the National Family Farm Coalition, explained how farmers are at a disadvantage. He explained that his experience as a plaintiff in an antitrust case against Monsanto taught him how economic power leads to political power. He also shared a story about a field day he recently attended where a Monsanto representative was the only seed company invited to talk. When Naylor inquired about the one conventional variety in the test plot, he was told it would only be available as a triple stack variety.

Below are photos from this event.

Interested in bringing a "Taking It Back" event to your community? OCM is prepared to host the event and provide all the necessary resources for planning and executing a successful event. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it today.