A question for all farmers out there

[bluevoter4life]

I recently saw the movie "Food Inc.". Needless to say, it scared the hell out of me. But I would like to ask a question: Living in the city, I have no knowledge of the operations of a farm. Can someone tell me exactly what "seed cleaning" is, how it is performed, and why companies such as Monsanto oppose this practice? Thanks.

[Vincardog]

1. Seed cleaning is exactly what it sounds like. You take (from your harvest) and clean out everything

except the seeds. Monsanto and the rest of the Agribusiness companies do NOT WANT you to keep and use your own seeds. They want to force you to by their seeds. That way they can control what you plant and whether or not you can survive.

[handmade34]

2. it should scare you

...seed cleaning is merely separating the good seed from debris and weed seed, drying and storing it properly... the thing that all good farmers used to do to have good seed to plant for next year.

[JoDog]

3. Hopefully, someone with more experience with the process

will chime in with more info, but here's the basic answer:

Seed cleaning is an essential step in seed saving. In traditional agriculture, farmers would set aside part of their harvests to use as seed for the next planting season. However, most seeds can't be taken right out of the plant and put in storage. They must be dried properly, separated from dust and bugs, and then stored. Seed cleaning services would do this for the farmer for a small fee.

Monsanto's problem with the practice is that all the seed they sell contains patented, propriatary GMO components. When a farmer buys the seed, they essentially buy a license to use those genetic modifications--but for that season only. With each subsequent season, they must pay for more seed to get the ad hoc licensing. Often, farmers must sign contracts with Monsanto promising not to use seed from the GMO crops. Monsanto doesn't even like having fields of crops without their genetics in fields next to their GMO because pollen from the GMO crop could fertilize the natural crop, allowing the neighbor farmer to "steal" (their word) their patented technology.

Monsanto went after the gentleman in the film because, according to them, his service would encourage farmers to use save and use seed year after year without license. It was of course bull, but he couldn't afford to fight a long court battle, and they knew that at the start.

[Tumbulu]

4. I have a seed cleaner

It consists of a series of screens and fans and the way one sets up the screens allows one to get rid of weed seeds and vegetable matter that get picked up along with harvested seed from a combine.

Mine is pretty small. It takes me about an hour to clean 50 lbs of seed up.

Most plant breeders have their own seed cleaners and some farmers do as well.