Regular readers know that I’m pretty proud to have High Mowing Organic Seeds as a sponsor. Now, I’m more proud than ever.
High Mowing has always been 100% organic, and soon will be the first and only seed house to be certified non-GMO by the Non-GMO Project. They are defining what it is to be an ethical seedhouse in their transparency as well as agricultural and business practices. I had the opportunity to talk to Tom Stearns, the founder of High Mowing Organic Seeds, several weeks ago about Non-GMO certification, the future of GMO labeling, and how seeds can save the world.
This interview covered a lot of ground. I learned a ton and I think you will as well.
Oh, and about that Giveaway? In celebration of becoming non-GMO verified, High Mowing is giving away a $25 Gift Certificate. Details below.
Meet Tom Stearns, The Organic Seed Guy
Erica: Hi Tom, thank you for taking the time. Okay, High Mowing Organic Seeds is the first seed company to be certified GMO-free. Can you tell me what’s happened?
Tom Stearns: Sure. Basically, over the last five years as more and more folks have been concerned about GMOs in our food supply, there’s been an effort by the Non-GMO Project to come up with the list of rules that anybody can use to keep GMOs out of their various food products.
This certification is for food companies and farmers and that kind of thing. It’s similar to certification for the word organic. Many people used the term “organic” but then there came the need for a more formal list of rules so that it meant the same thing to everybody that was using it. And when people became certified organic, consumers needed to know that that actually meant something. Of course, many farms have standards that are higher than what certified organic requires of them, so that’s just left up for everybody to figure out how they communicate about that.
So similarly with the Non-GMO Project, companies and products have been able to go through this verification process to let consumers know that they have committed to products without GMO contamination.
And for us, it’s seeds. And that’s new – nobody before us has had their planting seeds verified as Non-GMO. We’ve been working with the Non-GMO Project over the last five years and we’re the first seed company to go through their rigorous process.
Now, for us it was…I’m not going to say it wasn’t a challenge, but our standards internally are already higher than what the Non-GMO Project standards require. So for us it was going through a lot of formality of process and paper work and figuring out the nuts and bolts of how to do it.
Non-GMO Project Verification Process
Erica: How rigorous is the Non-GMO Project Certification? Is it the standard for non-GMO certification?
Tom Stearns: Yeah it’s the standard, there may be a few other organizations out there, but The Non-GMO Project is really the big one. I would say that their standard is very high. And our internal standard is even higher.
Erica: Since High Mowing is already 100% certified organic, why go for the Non-GMO Verification above and beyond that? How much of your motivation to get this additional certification as a company comes from maybe a lack of consumer awareness of what these terms really mean?
Tom Stearns: People should know that organic seeds does mean non-GMO. GMOs are not allowed in certified organic. So our seed has always been GMO-free. But we just felt the increasing need, especially in communicating to consumers out there, to go through this like extra layer of certification and verification, so that they knew it wasn’t just us saying GMO free, but that there was a third party audit that was also saying that.
I think some consumers are more aware than others, and we’ve just seen that in the response to a lot of questions like when we’ve posted this on Facebook, we have people saying things like, “I thought that because your seeds are organic they were already non-GMO.” And then another person on Facebook replies to that saying, “Yes, they are.”
So, it’s interesting to see the dialogue between different consumers out there and their knowledge. I would say that for us, almost everything that we do, we look at as an opportunity for education, and for more conversation around seed issues, organic issues, genetics issues. So, for us, it’s about that educational opportunity.
Erica: What educational outreach is High Mowing doing, specifically about non-GMO and organic certification of your seeds?
Tom Stearns: Our entire marketing approach is an educational-based one, basically. We are trying to help people learn how to grow more food for themselves and their communities and seeds are a key ingredient on that.
On this topic specifically I’ve been teaching workshops about non-GMO for years and a we started a new series of workshops over the last two years. On our website right now there’s a more in-depth announcement about this non-GMO verification and it just goes into the background and what we are doing, why we are doing it, how it works, and a little bit about some other pertinent aspects of it.
So we are looking to our partners like you to help spread the word about this, primarily because we feel like the consumer isn’t exposed to seed issues nearly enough and people have a lot of wrong assumptions about things.
Beyond “OMG GMO!” – What You Should Know
Erica: Other than the issues surrounding genetic modification, what do you feel are some of the seed issues that the consumer should be more aware of?
Tom Stearns: Well there’s a lot of aspects. GMO you could say is a meta-category but underneath that there’re different practices people don’t know much about. CMS is an example. That’s Cytoplasmic Male Sterility and that’s something that some people think of as GMO and some people think of as not GMO, but it’s currently allowed in organics.
High Mowing has just recently come out – and I think we are the first company to have done this – to say that we are firmly in the camp that CMS constitutes genetic engineering and that we’ve never sold any seeds modified like that and we never will, nor will we partner with folks who are working with those kinds of seeds.
But CMS is a rather complex issue in the seed world for hybrid broccoli and cauliflower, and very few consumers know about it. Other companies may have also made some related statements like this about CMS seed, but since we actually sell hybrid broccolis and cauliflowers, it really affects what we do and what breeding programs we work with as seed suppliers. We’ve been inspired as we’ve brought this issue up with several of our major breeding partners, that they agree and also do not use artificial CMS in their breeding programs.
Erica: Can you explain what Cytoplasmic Male Sterility is, and help my readers understand why it happens?
Tom Stearns: Sure. Part of the challenge in making hybrids, with brassicas for example, is that each flower has male and female parts in them so you’ve got pollen everywhere. It’s harder to control the cross in that situation. What Cytoplasmic Male Sterility does is it kills the male parts of the plant on the female line so that you can make the cross really efficiently.
Now, CMS is naturally occurring – it does happen in nature – but it is also artificially induced through cell fusion. That artificial CMS is, I think, borderline at best when we look at what people really think of as genetic engineering. But the National Organic Program says that artificial CMS is allowed when used within the same plant family. For example, naturally occurring CMS in radishes can be transferred through cell fusion into cauliflower and since they are both in the brassica family, the NOP allows that in Certified Organic agriculture. We and many other international organic certifiers believe that artificial CMS through cell fusion is not consistent with organic agriculture.
Erica: What other issues would you like to see more awareness of?
Tom Stearns: Another big issue has to do with the seed industry consolidation: who owns seeds and who owns seed companies. People worry about us getting bought out by somebody, or think are we just owned by some other company that’s really pulling the strings. I think people really have a lot of fear of Monsanto and the concern of Monsanto buying up every little seed company. We will always be independent.
So it’s a huge issue for us to help people understand where their seeds come from, who is growing the seeds, where they adapted to grow well and where they will thrive. And again a lot of this goes back to our approach of trying to have full transparency with our customers about what we do and why we do it.
GMO Contamination and The “Pound of Prevention” Philosophy
Erica: As an already 100% organic company what changes or challenges did you encounter getting your non-GMO certification?
Tom Stearns: What I found is that for us there is a combination of two things that are part of our success in making sure our seeds are always free of GMO.
One is prevention, so obviously the first thing you want to do is prevent GMO contamination. We already had pretty robust measures in place for that, but going through the Non-GMO Project Certification process helped us to get better, which we always want to do.
So prevention means several different things. We start by testing our stock seed, which is the seed that we plant to eventually get more seed. So, for example, let’s say that you planting seed in a perfect place, on an organic farm, and it’s isolated, and you take good care on how you’re handling it so you’re not getting it mixed up with anything along the process of harvest or whatever. But if that seed stock starts out contaminated, when you come to the harvest and you do a test, you’ll see that your harvested seed is contaminated.
But if you don’t know that your seed stock was contaminated you’re going to start looking for all sorts of other things like, “Oh, did it cross with the neighbor’s field we didn’t know about? Was there some problem along the way?” So, starting with testing of the stock seed is critical.
Then, these other aspects of prevention like isolation and a really tight mapping system to keep track of where all our seed crops are being produced is key, so that’s been tightened up a good bit. We know what we are growing, and what all the neighboring fields around our fields are also producing to ensure proper isolation.
And then finally, the testing protocols. Before Non-GMO Project Certification, we did a lot of testing in-house, but in order to meet standards for non-GMO certification we’ve increased to the amount of testing that we are doing. That’s meant figuring out more efficient ways of doing that testing, while being statistically accurate.
Erica: I think that that’s a great point. Ensuring the seed remains GMO free is an expensive and logistically complex endeavor. It’s not just sticking a label on a seed packet and crossing your fingers.
Tom Stearns: Right.
Erica: Based on the additional work that you guys have had to go through to get this Non-GMO Product certification, do you think that the consumer has a right to be worried about cross-contamination, even with certified organic seed?
Tom Stearns: It’s a great question, I think that that confidence is between the consumer and the company they’re buying seeds from. They may be very confident in it. And the closer the relationship is, the more confidence they probably could have.
A seed company is often pretty far removed from you, though. You’re ordering seeds online, or through the mail. And what’s actually more concerning I think to a lot of people, is that most seed companies don’t actually even grow any of their seed. So the seed companies themselves are quite removed from the seed production, which is where the contamination usually happens.
Many folks, many seed companies, have good practices about preventing GMO contamination, but we felt like enrolling in this program and becoming verified really made us better. Not compared to other people, just compared to what we had already been doing.
Erica: Did you run into any surprises with your testing? Did you have any contamination you hadn’t been aware of?
Tom Stearns: No, and that’s great news. Because if we had a test of one of our seed crops that was positive for GMOs, I would consider it a failure of our system. Even once. It’s kind of like a food safety issue. You go through your whole process as a food manufacturer to make sure that you don’t put somebody at risk with e-coli, and if they do, you know, it’s pretty awful news.
And this case is nothing quite as dramatic as that, but 95% of our investment is in prevention. Testing is just to check whether that investment is being used right.
Erica: That’s wonderful. Based on the crops that are currently being grown out as genetically modified, what are the crops at highest risk for contamination?
Tom Stearns: Corn, absolutely, and for several reasons. People grow corn everywhere, as opposed some other crops that are much more isolated. Also, 90% of the corn grown in this country is genetically modified already. So that means the likelihood of your seed corn being grown near a GMO corn field is pretty high, no matter where you are. And finally, corn is wind pollinated so that means that it doesn’t behave and stay within its field very well.
Erica: Sure. That makes sense. And in general with the big GMO commodity crops – corn, soy, sugar beet, canola – the contamination risk is in those and related crops. But do you feel like the future is genetically modified versions of many of the market crops, too. I mean, not just the commodity staples but the lettuce, the carrots?
Tom Stearns: Well obviously I hope lettuce and carrots do not become genetically modified, but I think that there are some crops where there’s a lot of money and a lot of acreage, and those will likely be the next ones in line for genetic modification.
With this certification, we are labeling everything and verifying everything that we sell as non-GMO. There are some crops that don’t yet have genetically modified versions yet, but what this project and the Non-GMO Project certification process has enabled us to do, is to prepare in advance.
Take lettuce for example, if lettuce was genetically modified, we would need to implement a whole system-wide process to make sure that the seeds weren’t contaminated, and to determine selection, and where to produce it, and how to test it. And it’s not just the testing; it’s also interpersonal things, like building strategic alliances with all sorts of different companies, businesses, farmers all over the world and really taking those relationships seriously.
But because lettuce isn’t genetically modified, most seeds companies haven’t gone through any kind of process like that. But now with this project and with us being verified, we’re working on that with all of our crops.
So what this does is, instead of putting us in the position of scrambling when GMO lettuce happens, we are working to put our controls in place. This includes our mapping system locating all of our productions wherever they are in the world as well as just on our own farm here. We are developing stronger policies to make sure that we know what every single neighboring field within miles is doing; and continuing to develop the stock seed testing protocols.
Now obviously we’re not testing our lettuce for GMO contamination because there is no GMO lettuce yet, but our systems are getting in place. And all you need to do is to look at the example of wheat out your way that happened a couple of months ago to know that even though there is not GMO wheat commercially on the market, that experimental GMO wheat from test plots escaped and then it’s out there, in farmers fields.
So we may need to act very quickly in a case like that, as opposed to having a couple of years heads-up like we did with GMO sugar beets.
Erica: Out here in the Pacific Northwest as you know, exports of agricultural products are a huge part of our economy. That’s something that most people who think about Seattle as Boeing and Starbucks don’t even know. So many of our international agricultural markets just shut down at the mention of possible contamination of wheat or any of the other staples. It’s terrifying. I don’t think people fully understand the financial implication of this kind of contamination. It’s not just a hippy issue, it’s a business issue.
Tom Stearns: Yeah, no doubt. And I think many conventional growers are not going to be interested in the risks of GMOs, not necessarily because of some philosophical reasons, which is behind a lot of organic farmers distaste of it, but because of these economic issues and complexity issues like, “don’t put my crop at risk.”
Erica: Absolutely.
Tom Stearns: And Russia just said no to GMOs, China banned it for their army, the Chinese army. These are massive players around the world that are saying, “we don’t need any of your American made GMO seed”. So whatever the motivation behind rejecting GMO crops, the world and the tides are really shifting.
True Progress, Labeling, and The Future of GMOs
Erica: I agree that there’s greater awareness about these issues, but given that agribusiness companies, companies like Monsanto, say things like, “we need this technology to feed the world,” what’s your response to that? How do you as a conscientious seedman respond to that kind of thing?
Tom Stearns: Well I think that some advances in technology in agriculture have not led to a decrease in poverty or hunger. All of our advances in the last 50 or 100 years have still left many people hungry. So it’s not a silver bullet, it’s not just a technology than can solve things. There is a whole social structure and equity of wealth and a sort of democratization of the global food supply that needs to happen. That’s what all those scientists and smart people at Monsanto should be focusing on.
Erica: So you’re saying it’s more of a distribution issue.
Tom Stearns: It’s a distribution and a social issue a lot more than it is specifically an agricultural issue. I am a huge believer in agricultural progress big time, but it doesn’t count as progress if more people are hungry. It doesn’t count as progress if local communities have the life sucked out of them and don’t have the ability to control the very means of their sustenance in the seeds. It doesn’t count as progress if soil is getting polluted all over the place because these new seed technologies require a huge amount of spraying and are incompatible with organic agriculture. None of that counts as progress to me. So I’m not a luddite but true progress looks a lot different.
Erica: What does true progress look like?
Tom Stearns: I think it is balancing the ecological realities that we live in on this planet and taking a long term view to designing a food system that is in line with those things.
Erica: You guys are located in Vermont, the first state to pass GMO labeling law. Was High Mowing a participant in that effort?
Tom Stearns: We were there when it happened, absolutely. Yeah, we’ve testified and written many letters over the years in this process here, and you know, it’s obviously a multiyear process and we were pretty proud that day. When they announced the legislation, we were down there in the state house at Montpellier and we passed out about 2,000 seed packets to everybody that was there.
Erica: I think the fact that Vermont has passed this legislation is fantastic, but given the huge industry opposition and money that gets thrown against state initiatives to label GMOs, do you think that the future of GMO awareness is going to be in private certification programs like the Non-GMO Project? Or do you think that Americans can expect eventually, some sort of legislative assurance?
Tom Stearns: What a great question. I think that, you know, what the Non-GMO Project has said is, we’re going to label it, to make sure people know when it’s not GMO. What the state efforts are saying is, we think that the label should say when it is GMO, and then everything else you can assume isn’t. And organic, there’s already a label for that.
So, I am not sure how it’s all going to shake out. I do suspect that there will be nationwide labeling within five years, by the feds.
Erica: That would be amazing.
Tom Stearns: And I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s even sooner.
Erica: In five years?
Tom Stearns: Yeah.
Erica: I am flying out to Vermont and I am buying you dinner if that happens.
Tom Stearns: Well, all of these state by state efforts are just going to be a huge pain for everybody. And the more of a pain they are, the more ammunition that is for the feds to pass a single labeling law. And the more the food companies that are fighting it are going to want that to happen too.
Erica: I sure hope you’re right.
Tom Stearns: This is nothing new, I mean food companies have to deal with different state labeling laws all over the place, and what they do is, they just label to the highest standard, so they don’t have to have different packaging for every state.
Erica: Speaking of costs of labeling, should your customers expect a price increase in your seeds because of the additional certification?
Tom Stearns: No, no price increases, because we were doing this stuff already. So we already had so much of this in place that we don’t need to pass any of these additional costs on to anybody.
Erica: Sounds like a win, win, win.
Tom Stearns: Yeah, you know, in a few years, if the FDA starts dictating rules on what people can claim about GMO-free or non-GMO the way they did about organics in 2002, it’ll be interesting to see what happens.
Because the terminology surrounding GMO isn’t regulated, many seed companies can say they’re GMO free, but they are not testing anything. I’m curious about what may happen if GMO-free claims become something you can’t just use without third-party verification. I think eventually non-GMO claims will require some kind of verification or certification. So, for us we just wanted to put that in place now.
Erica: Do you feel like, with this Non-GMO Project Verification, you’ve kind of gotten as good as you can be? Or is there some way you can you improve transparency or get better as a seed company?
Tom Stearns: Oh we’re insatiable! Being insatiable means that you always have somewhere further to go.
Erica: Do you have a target for that? Is there something else on the horizon for High Mowing that you can talk about?
Tom Stearns: That’s a great question. Let’s talk about that another time, but I would say that High Mowing has a lot of ambitions to help supply the seeds that we need to rebuild our entire food system.
Erica: Rebuilding the entire food system is pretty insatiable.
Tom Stearns: Well, I’m just talking about planet Earth. So we’re holding it to that for now.
Erica: I’m kind of disappointed that you aren’t talking about terraforming Mars.
Tom Stearns: Not yet. But these little things, seeds, are absolutely the most powerful vehicle for the kind of positive change that we need to see. And we feel that really deeply.
The Giveaway!
High Mowing is very committed to encouraging a dialog about seed issues like these. They are giving away a $25 gift certificate good for any of their seeds. You pick! $25 will buy a nice selection of their organic, non-GMO seeds.
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below telling me if and why non-GMO seeds and food are important to you. Alternatively, if you have any questions about genetically modified seeds, ask away. Your questions may help inspire or direct future posts.
If you think organic agriculture and growing your own food is pretty awesome, I also highly recommend signing up for High Mowing’s information-packed monthly newsletter, The Seed Bin.
Fine Print: Contest open until Tuesday, July 15, 2014, 8 pm PST. Winner will be notified by email and shall have 48 hours to respond to claim his or her prize. Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. The prize is a $25 gift certificate, furnished by High Mowing Organic Seeds. Good luck!
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I prefer non-gmo seeds & food because I think Mother Nature knows best.
Marie, your statement is perfectly profound…simple & factual!!!
It is important to me to feed my family the best food possible so I am growing more and more of it. Unadulterated, un-patented since I believe that everyone has a basic right to grow their own food and save the seeds, and provided by companies that have a higher purpose then just their bottom line. I have used High Mowing Seeds in the past and they are the best!
Extremely important! Non-gmos are the only way to go, and more and more people need to be educated on why.
I have used High Mowing Seeds for ages. When I found out that other brands were owned by big conglomerates, and supported Monsanto, I refused to use or buy them any longer. As a consumer I do not want to be forced to use anything with GMO’s, I want to choice. I appreciate that there are more and more companies that are coming out and telling us that they do not use GMO seeds, I wish it were the other way around though. It should be encumbant on companies that use GMO’s to tell us, so that the public didn’t have to work so hard for what they should be allowed to have as citizens of the world.
Non GMO seeds are so important. Right now the US is shorting lives of half the population. It’s important to educate those willing to listen & eat healthy
Quality and not quantity of food is so important to me and my family!!! I have a small garden as well and it is sad to me that they might not be non-GMO, I thought they were!! Thanks for sharing story and website!!
Organic, GMO free food is hard to find, not to mention the seeds themselves. Without labeling standards for GMO’s you don’t know who to trust. I applaud you for being responsible and providing people with a safe way to grow their own food. I know where I will be buying my seeds from now on!
I had a beautiful, plentiful garden in the desert of AZ (yep it is very possible) and I kept it all organic. In fact the wildlife of bugs and lizards etc kept my food pest free! I had no idea that the seeds may be tainted. I don’t think many people do. In the past two years we have moved to a lot to different states across the nation and back. We are going to finally settle into a home this year and my first plan are my gardens. I am now researching some good soil to start with (I will need a lot as gardening where we will live will be all raised beds) as well as some solid seeds to get started with! I am so glad I found this article in my FB feed. When you think you have something down pretty good, I guess you really don’t!
Organic seeds are important to me because I want my family and myself to eat real food and be able to know without a doubt exactly what they are eating–because we grew it ourselves, from organic seeds!
I have been belittled by the clerk in the store because I chose to buy from their organic produce, I have had my stomach balloon up every time I eat grains even ones claiming
non GMO, I have had health issues eating fruit not properly organic which I can’t know till I
get it home and eat it, frozen vegetables leaving a lot to be desired including the feeling of good
health…..
I have decided its time to grow my own so I can eat something! I have become one of the weak
to be weeded out of society.
Thanks for all the info!!
Organics are life, health and wholeness to me. I desire to grow Organic foods and will only use Organic Non GMO seeds. Thankyou for doing what you do!
GMOs are bad for us and the earth. I avoid gmo food (and seeds).
Yes, NON-GMO seeds and food are important to me and my family! We have a garden and don’t use chemicals on it, we don’t want seeds that already have chemicals in them poisoning us.
I love the fact tat organic and non GMO foods are safe for my whole family but especially our youngest daughter who at 6 months of age showed serious food allergies after a suspicion it was to contaminants in the foods and pesticides residues and tired of reaction after reaction and numerous Emerg visits and giving her the same foods over and over we switched to Organic and non GMO certified foods she is so much better with no reactions. She can eat the food that we give her and not have to be scared of it closing her airway and causing a reaction. I am sooooo thankful for this movement; for me and my family and especially our daughter it literally is a “life saver”!!! Thank you for all your hard work keeping our food pure and real!
We recently made a garden box in our yard and are so excited to be able to grow our own safe Organic and non GMO foods with seeds that are truley safe!!
I want to know whats in my food and going into my body, I don’t want to eat GMO’s. Thats why I have turned half my backyard into a garden to grow my own veggies.
Thank you so much for going through Non-Gmo Project verified. This is the label I always look for when shopping. My better half began having serious food allergies about 4 years ago. It was so bad she had to have allergy tests. Her allergies were so severe and broad that it is easier to say what she is NOT allergic to. She kept getting sicker with each meal. I finally started doing research and found out about, pesticides and GMO’s. I had no idea! Now, 5 months after switching to a 100% non-gmo / organic diet, she has not had a single reaction and been sick because of what she ate. We are so excited to finally find a seed company who is going through the non-gmo project verified, we can finally feel safe about buying and planting our own seeds. We have even switched all of our farm animal over to non-gmo feed. Thank you so much. Your efforts here are a true life saver for my family.
Non-GMO seeds are important to me because I believe that any alteration to what nature has to give is unnatural and bad for everyone including the environment. I recently read an article that said that recent studies show that GMO grown food is actually altering are DNA and are not digestible unlike what monsanto like companies are advertising. I have recently transitioned to most non-GMO foods and also as a gardener I only use seed that are heirloom.
Organic and NonGMO is one of the most important issues of our times. Patients in this country have gotten so out of control that you likely don’t even own your own genes. Sick. The sea of information about how bad GMOs are for you health is mind boggling that there isn’t massive law suits and riots in the street and Monsanto among others isn’t locked up for creating weapons of mass destruction.
I have been so disappointed in American agriculture. My heart and dream is to see our nation filled (once again) with people growing their own food, naturally, organically, environmentally friendly, without GMO’s, chemicals and with complete transparency. We need to stand up against all that is wrong with the way our food is being grown, processed and sold in this nation. So many sicknesses and diseases stem from the food we eat and most, if not all, can be prevented through agricultural changes. And it is painful to see so many small farms closed down as larger companies like Monsanto continue to flourish. Whether it be through local cross – contamination, lawsuits, deceptive marketing, or increased prices to run small farms, something needs to be done. I can’t believe that greed has pushed us to such a place as this, where making money is more important than the very well being of the people who purchase and consume a business’s products. When will it end? I’ll tell you. It will end when we come together as a nation, who cry out for change, with our words, and our dollars. Things will change when other large companies hear those cries and begin to alter the way they raise our food. Money has strength, and companies like Monsanto have displayed this reality over and over again. So, as consumers, we must spend our money wisely, buying locally, organic, non – gmo food. We must support companies we can stand by, companies we can trust, companies who hold the same beliefs as we do. Companies like High Mowing and people like Tom Stearns need our support. In the end, American agriculture is the way it is because it is profitable to those who have invested into it. But large businesses, as well as small farms, who are thriving while growing organically, display to the world a different perspective… One that says, hey, people want this, they will pay for this, and you can make money from this. High Mowing seeds gives me hope for the future and I’m excited to see what our future holds. They are investing in all that we are asking for, now it’s our turn to invest in them. I believe change is coming!
I am one of the growing number of folks who have become hyper-reactive to a voluminous amount of materials in the environment. When GMOs came along and I learned that some foods were being injected with elements from other foods, I knew that this would cause me to lose the strict control I needed to maintain over what I can ingest. I also learned that the vectors used to carry genetics into the GMO foods are viruses. Again, uncertainty over what I would be able to tolerate. Ethically, when I began to be aware of the far-reaching contamination of non-GMO crops, the GMO companies suing farmers for patent violation (with no fault on the farmers’ part), and the companies price-fixing so farmers couldn’t afford non-GMO seed and also started losing their farms, I recognized the blatant immorality of what these companies are doing. So not only am I concerned about the consequences to my state of health and life expectancy, but I also do not want to participate in or support such immoral businesses. I could go on, but leave it here for now. Thank you for what you are doing!
PS. I have now moved to a place where I can start growing some of my own food. I want to be sure the seeds and plants I will use are organically certified!
Non GMO is extremely important as i want to give my family real food. This is so exciting to find your company! Now i know where to get my seeds!
I could not believe how much GARBAGE and POISON is in the food I’d been eating and buying for my family every day. It’s terrifying! I have already begun hunting for organic+nonGMO food and seeds to get this junk out of our bodies- I just wish everyone knew how awful this stuff is so we could ALL get away from GMO’s!
I’m off to sign up for that newsletter- thanks for a great article.
Also…you might want to check out this interview with Sam Polk of Groceryships.
We learned a TON on what GMO’s are and why they’re so bad, check this out! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ignoranceequation/2014/06/29/the-ignorance-equation-garbage-the-other-white-meat
They are important simply because of how much healthier they are for us and the environment.
For my health, for the environment, and for all the health and safety of all as one! Thank you!
I hope to have an organic garden one day soon and being GMO free is so important for my growing children.
I have been saving all the organic seeds that l can, afraid that they will disappear . Thank you for what you are doing, the importance cannot be measured. How long do seeds last and what are the best ways to store them? Is it correct to say that all organic seed is also Non GMO? Keep up the good work and never give up!
Organic, non GMO seeds are very important to me because I want my family to eat real, clran foods. I’ve just started researching everything and am appalled at these companies for feeding people the things they do! I hope to make my children aware of this and hopefully they’ll continue with their own families’ one day.
Non GMO seeds are so hard to find now, and i am an avid gardener looking everywhere i go for real true heritage seed. very nice to have certification to help sort out the good from the bad!
WHY I’M OPPOSED TO GMO–I’m am avid organic gardener & grow all of my own produce because I’m very interested in eating NATURAL produce as opposed to UNNATURAL produce. I also TAKE PRIDE in harvesting my own seeds for next year’s crops. And yes, I do purchase a few seeds. Plain & Simple, I don’t want food that’s had its nutritional value altered by genetic engineering, (it actually sounds like a VERY creepy horror story)…especially at the expense of contaminating the world’s agricultural farmland….ALL in the name of PROFIT & CONTROL. It seems so simple to realize that “altering” leads to “unnatural” & we all know what that is. Monsanto could gain EXTREME popularity if they would do an about-face & use their resources to provide what people are now SCREAMING for which is to STOP this modification train they’ve created & focus on NATURAL nutrition. It’s also not rocket science that the human body should ONLY be consuming produce that it is already programmed to metabolize. All tomatoes are not supposed to look alike. Good produce is not some uniform piece of artwork to use to fool consumers into to thinking they should purchase it because it’s pretty. I’m concerned that these modifications could lead to the altering of human RNA. What then? There’s no way to REVERSE “THAT” now is there? Does Monsanto have a plan for that catastrophe? What happened to the ole adage, “It’s NOT NICE to fool (with) Mother Nature”?
I might add that I read somewhere that the cafeteria at GMO…uh… I mean, Monsanto Corporate serves ONLY organic foods! Has anyone else read this?
It’s very important for me to have non-GMO seeds since I have started my own garden in my sizable yard. I started with non-GMO corn (seeds where provided by: angie’s boom chicka pop). I also believe non-GMO seeds are the key to a sustainable future for the next generation. Health and healthy living is implied in this as well. I appreciate the opportunity. Thank you.
Richie
It is so hard to find non GMO seeds or food these days! Thank you for the information, it has been very helpful.
My health has declined ever since GMOs came on the market. My husband and I are growing some of our own vegetables now organically. I did extensive searches for seed companies that sell only non GMO seeds, but sadly there has never been a guarantee with these seeds. So excited to hear we can now buy seeds knowing what we are getting instead of just hoping.
I am teaching my grandchildren the importance of Organic foods and how to grow a organic garden. If we dont reach this generation of youth and teach them how to grow food and why this so vital to preserving our health then following generations will eat processed, gmo, hormone ladden foods.
That was a great interview. I want there to be more choice and true concern for consumers and earth health. More awareness will bring more freedom for us to grow the food to nourish our world.
This is my first summer having my own garden to grow fresh produce and flowers for the honeybees. I’d rather grow my own food than to buy produce with unknown origins. I’m a firm believer in only taking what you need. This year I want to grow enough food to feed my family & friends. They’re all important to me as well as eating life to life. I’m going to try canning this year after harvest 🙂
I’ve bought from High Mowing in the past…..my pastured land was first seeded with a mix of wild flower seeds from them. I purchased a 1 lb. bag while on vacation in Vermont in 2006!
I read labels and eat organic, and non-GMO certification is the next logical step, taking it to the next level for food security and our overall safety….we KNOW they are no hidden chemicals or genetic modifications.
Thank You for getting the message out about GMO’s, Monsanto, Dupont. We have blue Oregon here. I keep writing to the Governor but with no response…. Check out blueoregon.com and get your message out there!!!
I healed from stage 3 breast cancer earlier this year by eating whole, real food … As organic as I could find. That was not easy. Today I am a walking testimony of what the body can do with real, clean food (fuel)! I have become a health food, whole food addict because of it. Everyone deserves a chance to live healthy and disease free. I would be grateful to be the recipient of a gift certificate to assist in offering real garden food to my family and friends!
Great article. Non-gmo and organic has become really important to us in the past few years, with all our groceries being that.
GMOs have unknown effects on human health. That should be important to everyone.
Our family has been trying to eat non-GMO for awhile now. The most compelling evidence for us is the fact that GMO foods actually alter your DNA. I cannot believe these foods are even legal.
I started saving seed 6 years ago, but my spinach already did not produce viable seeds. Tomatoes, chilies , lettuce and basil no problems…so I will be ordering from High Mowing in the future…
I would love some non-GMO seeds!
I want to try and put the best stuff in my body…organic, local, and non-gmo are high priorities. Would love to grow some local goodness of my own!
Knowing this all started back in 1996 without informing the public is quite sad, and now that the facts are on the “family” table, it is so disturbing that our government is doing nothing about it after “we the people” have stood up and ask to stop GMO before more crops are tainted adding more damage to our food chain. What happened to United we stand? Unfortunately, it’s all about profit, not at all about raising healthy children & future generations of less disease, obesity, etc. What happened to United States being on top, leaders of the nation? European countries acknowledged the dangers and have banned GMO foods. Preventative medicine is key for optimal health. Eating the right foods in their natural state. We now live in California, and are designing our family vegetable garden. Very exciting! We have 4 children who are learning the right approach to gardening, long term health & wellness. Acknowledging, it all starts in our own backyard! Using certified organic & certified non GMO seeds would be fabulous! Can wait to order some. Just watched the documentary Back to Eden about gardening. Great tips & advice! Thank you for sharing your passion, and Much appreciation to all your efforts trying to make the world a better place! We the people in order to form a perfect union….
I had heard about gmo in the news I initially, but didn’t think much of it. Then I started seeing more posts from some of the organic sites I follow of fb. So, I decided to do research on my own. It truly is frightening how much chemicals and non food items we eat these days. Thank you to sites like this for informing us all on how to change this epidemic.
In my garden the insects are attracted to plants that evolved in the area naturally over time, not the hybrids. It makes sense (to me) to follow their example.
I have a chronic illness that can be made worse by poor diet so I like to eat mostly organically grown whole foods. Growing your own food is economically and ecologically prudent
I have a chronic illness that can be made worse by a poor diet and the best way to get quality whole foods that I know haven’t had pesticides sprayed on them is to grow them myself. Growing some of my own food is also a good way for me to exercise some everyday. Besides that I love watching all of my plants as they grow. I already have a good sized garden and jump at any opportunity to diversify my backyard ecosystem.
I am a 22 year breast cancer survivor and work each day to stay healthy – even with Crohn’s. My continued efforts to maintain good health is solely contingent upon access to and consuming quality food. No good comes from tinkering in the genetics of plants or by adding pesticides. This creates greater problems in the long run – not unlike antibiotics creating super bacteria, genetically modified food will create a host of problems never before seen. Mother Nature always wins. The idea of corporate conglomerates controlling the world food supply is unacceptable. I want to be able to collect my own seeds from a non-GMO source so I can plant chemical-free food that my body can consume without doing harm to myself. Pesticides kill. Me. You. Butterflies. Bees. No GMO, please.
I am extremly concerned with what I serve to my family and friends. I am changing over to organic food and learning about all the terrible ingredients in our food. Non gmo is very important to me . Next I want to learn how to start growing my own herbs and vegetables.
Growing my own food is important to me because it’s magic, it’s connection, it’s life. Why not go into it at your fullest? Which to me means getting the best there is, caring for it, giving thanks and enjoying and sharing the sustenance that your garden gives.
I’ve been buying all my seed from high mowing and it’s a wonderful product.
Fantastic interview thanks!