The fight to protect our right to grow pure seed continues! Last week Southern Exposure joined many of the other plaintiffs in Washington, D.C., for an important chapter in our historic lawsuit to protect pure seeds from agri-giant Monsanto: OSGATA et al. v. Monsanto. A panel of three federal judges heard the appeal, and we have high hopes going forward. We’re sending a loud message: we don’t want GMO genes on our farms, and it is shameful that under the current law organic farmers can be found at fault when our crops are contaminated by those genes.

So many farmers have contributed to this battle, donating their time and funds to travel to the court and make a real show of the faces behind this lawsuit. You can help too: add your voice to the Food Democracy Now! Petition in Support of Family Farmers Against Monsanto. We’re especially thankful to all those who called their congresspeople on January 10 in support of our appeal.

Want to learn more?

• Our friends at Sow True have posted an excellent video: Citizen’s Rally for Farmers: Support True Seed & Our Right2Know.
• Our blogging friend Paxus gives his reaction to the appeal.
  

Our own Ira Wallace and Carol Koury of Sow True Seed at the Citizen’s Rally for Farmers.

Over the past year, we’ve donated seeds to more than 160 worthy organizations. We’re thrilled to be able to support so many groups working in such diverse ways to promote sustainable agriculture, varietal preservation, and better access to healthy food. We would like to thank all these groups for their wonderful work!

Organizations benefitting from SESE seed donations include:

• Food Pantries (Arlington Food Assistance Center, Hoosier Hills Food Bank)
• Seed Libraries (J. Sargent Reynolds Community College Seed Library)
• School Gardens
• Plant-a-Row for the Hungry Groups
• Seed Swaps (Fayetteville, AR, Community Gardens Coalition)
• Agricultural Conferences (Student Initiatives in Sustainable Agriculture Conference, The Florida Small Farms & Alternative Enterprises Conference)

Some of the other organizations we’ve donated seeds to: Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, Oberon Associates Preservation Initiative, The Traditional Native American Farmers’ Association, Jubilee Partners,  The Chesterfield Historical Society, The American Horticultural Society Seed Exchange Program, and Appalachia Science in the Public Interest.

The next few months are the best time of year to request a donation of seeds. Most of the seeds we donate are slightly past their sell-by dates, but we find they’ll still grow well, with good germination rates and seedling vigor. To request a donation, email us with the word “donation” in the subject line. Please include the following information:

• the organization’s name,
• a brief description of the organization’s mission and activities,
• the organization’s website if it has one,
• whether you are tax-exempt,
• the approximate number of people you’re working with,
• the approximate area cultivated,
• the address you’d like the seed sent to,
• and a list of which crops you would be most interested in growing.

We’re reposting this message from Zofia Hausman, director of the Agtivists. Zofia has the blessing of OSGATA (the Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association). We hope you’ll spread the word about this film!

Watch the trailer on the indiegogo site!

My fight against GMOs

My name is Zofia Hausman and I am a British film maker and human rights activist. I am in the process of producing a documentary that will take a critical look at the prevalence of genetically modified organisms in our food supply and the bio-tech industries that have monopolized and patented mother nature.

The film will delve into the work of The Agtivists, four American pioneers who have put their lives and reputations on the line to challenge the corporate control of our food supply. Groundbreaking new research will be revealed, helping us to understand GMOs and how their effects have an impact on every single human being on the planet.

Did you know that 70 percent of ingredients in our supermarkets contain genetically modified organisms, crops that have had their DNA altered in a laboratory by the addition of genes from other plants, animals, or bacteria? This type of genetic modification is experimental and largely untested, and over 80 percent of the transmuted crops are being designed to withstand direct application of herbicides and pesticides – chemicals that end up on your plate. Many countries have banned or severely restricted the production of GMOs, but here in the United States, the companies producing our food don’t even have to mention them on the label.

Why should this be a matter for concern?

GMO Bt corn, an EPA registered pesticide, is engineered so that when corn worms bite into the ear of corn, their stomaches explode. These Bt pesticide toxins have been linked to cell membrane death and leaky gut, as well as kidney cell damage in humans. They have been recently found in the blood of 93% of pregnant women tested, as well as 80% of their unborn babies. Other GMOs such as GMO sugar, canola and soy have also been genetically engineered to tolerate high levels of a chemical called glyphosate, the active ingredient in RoundUp. This chemical is being linked to birth defects, inflammatory bowel disease, certain cancers, organ damage as well as environmental problems.

We have a right to know what we are putting into our bodies but right now we are ingesting these toxins without consent and involuntarily participating in what some scientists believe to be the greatest human experiment in the history of mankind!

My goal is to finish this film as soon as possible, so we can release this information to the world and afford the mainstream an opportunity to become conscious of the issue and reclaim control over their health and food supply. In this war on GMOs, information is power. I invite you to join me on this journey and become a sponsor of The Agtivists and an integral part of the larger solution. We can no longer rely on our governments to stand up against corporate agendas; it is we, the people, who must take action to ensure a just and cooperative world. It is up to us to bring an end to this human experiment and reclaim our food supply!

Watch the trailer and donate to the film here: www.indiegogo.com/agtivistsmovie

Please help to spread the word with your friends, family, and professional networks. We are all in this together, and what we need right now is each other.