This morning, I noticed a new message in my inbox. It happened to be a recruiting mesage from none other than Monsanto. It read:

"Dear Brian,

I am reaching out to you, because I would like to network with you and find out more about your future career goals. You have the type of background that Monsanto values and I would like to connect to learn more about you. Can we schedule some time for a telephone call?

Cathy X"

Here is my public reply:

Dear Cathy,

Thank you for your message. I prefer to respond via my blog, so I hope you don't mind.

My future career goals include helping people boycott Monsanto and its maddened pursuit of money and global domination. I believe that a genetically diverse flora, composed of open-pollinated members, is not only critical to the existence of the human race, but it is part of our shared birthright. We also deserve the ability to live in a world not polluted by petro-chemicals, greed and manipulation.

As you know, Monsanto is primarily a chemical producer. One of your famous products, Agent Orange, was used to destroy countless acres of vegetation and caused health problems wherever it was used. Monsanto started acquiring seed companies in order to create vertical markets for its chemical products. As a result, innumerable farmers have suffered cancers too horrible to describe.

Your company has a stated goal to own 100% of the seed market worldwide. To achieve this end, Monsanto has developed a radical genetic manipulation program. The nearly-uncontrolled and nearly-unchecked nature of this program has resulted in crop contamination via cross pollination. That is likely the mildest result since, to my knowledge, there has never been a scientifically adequate test of genetically modified organisms.

Never in the history of the world have humans developed something as insidious and dangerous as the Terminator gene, also a result of Monsanto's efforts. This gene would devastate farmers across the globe by denying them the ability to do what humans have done since the beginning of agriculture: save seed. This is, by definition, a core element of agriculture. Yet, your company wants this to end.

At every step, Monsanto and I disagree. Since you mentioned my background, I assume that you mean my involvement in both marketing and farming. As a chemical-free family farmer, it is impossible for me to ally with your group. It goes against everything that I value and respect. Part of my motivation to start farming was that I wanted to provide my family with food free from undisclosed genetic modifications and routine chemical contamination.

As a marketer, I easily see through the lies that your organization spins. Marketing, in its best form, is connecting people with the products and services that will improve their lives, entertain them, fulfill their needs and raise their standard of living. Your company wants to enslave people by removing their ability to act in accordance with Nature and live without spending money with your corporation.

I hope that you have met your goal of learning more about me. Of course, I will not be a good fit for your organization or its culture, so I will decline a telephone call. I wish you the best when it comes time in your career to find a new position. And, I hope that it is soon.

Yours,

Brian

If you're not in Nebraska now, let me give you a quick update: we're having one of the harshest winters in my memory. In December, we had two snowfalls of 12", a string of days between -14F and -10F, and tonight, we're expecting windchill temperatures of -40F. Allegedly, we'll have high temperatures in the 20s next week, but I have trust issues with the weather forecasters. We'll see.

Our chickens are getting frostbite on their combs, but there's really nothing we can do about that. A couple of days ago, Kelly watered the birds. After she fed them and gathered eggs, she noticed that the water surface had already formed some ice. It's cold, cold, cold.

In December, I also learned an important lesson in resource management: use a tarp. A couple of months ago, I picked up some used roofing tin in Iowa and built a simple woodshed. Maybe I had last year's mild winter on my mind, but I didn't enclose the north side of the shed, which faces the house. Each snowstorm we had has had strong winds, so our wood pile has a layer of snow on it. Not smart, but I have learned my lesson. Even though we have a propane furnace, I miss using the wood furnace. Wood heat is something special.

I've also been torturing myself with seed catalogs. Everything looks beautiful, but I know I won't get to eat most of it for months. We've got a good idea of what we're planting for 2010, but we need to get the orders made before our preferred seed companies sell out. With an increasing number of people gardening, the good stuff is difficult to procure.

We ordered seed potatoes from Wood Prairie Farm. They're a certified organic family farm in Maine. We've researched them, had an email conversation with Megan and determined that they're a safe source. We make efforts to double-insulate from Monsanto/Seminis since we do not support genetic engineering or chemical-based farming. If you had the pleasure of eating our Yukon Golds or French Fingerlings in 2009, you had Wood Prairie Farm potatoes. (This year, we selected Yukon Gold and Cranberry Red.)

-Brian

zinnia seedsAs winter is rapidly drawing near, I am busy collecting seeds.  I am relatively new to seed saving since it has always seemed to be such a dauting task.  But once I took a step back and realized that nature has been rebirthing itself season after season without man, I decided that all the "necessary" steps and procedures were really not all that necessary after all.  But making the move to preserving our own seeds each year is something I definitely want to do, not just for financial reasons, but also because I worry that giant companies, like Monsanto, are working towards total domination of the seed market. 

My main focus this year was on flower seeds.  Flower seeds like poppies, cosmos and zinnias are very easy to collect.  I just wait for the head of the flower to dry up and pull the seeds right off.  DONE!  Although, this year, tons of cosmos came up and I never even collected seeds.  Self seeders are definitely keepers in my garden. 

 poppy seeds

I would like to start collecting seeds from vegetables, but that is more of a challenge due to cross pollination.  It's difficult in our gardens to separate pepper and tomato varieties so far away from each other so they will not cross pollinate.   As an experiment, I collected some of the seeds anyway to see what happens.  I am quickly learning that the books are not always right, and usually the best way to learn about something is to just do it. 

~Kelly

I've heard a lot of discussion around Food Inc., and I've read a lot of the reviews. One thing I've not done is see the movie. Surprised? Anyone who knows me understands that I take my food seriously. So why have I not rushed out to my theater?

Part of the reason is that we are farming. It's not convenient to take time off during the busiest season of the year to watch a movie. I work a full-time off-farm job, and Kelly runs Black Sheep Farms. I spend evenings and weekends helping with farm tasks. Add three kids, and time gets short.

Sure, I'll watch it on DVD. But I don't expect to learn a lot from it. Why?

I already know the issues. Heck, I'm a chemical-free farmer. I should know. I have studied Monsanto and their extensive programs. I know that they own or supply many organic seed companies. I have read most of Joel Salatin's books. My next-door neighbor at the farmers market has even had Joel stay at his farm a couple of times.

I think that it's fantastic that Food Inc. is making a splash in mainstream America. People should know why ground beef from a small farmer costs $6/lb instead of $1.77 at the grocery store. As a nation, we should be aware how Monsanto has infiltrated the federal government in order to promote their own agenda. Education is wonderful.

But education is wonderful only if it continues. Do this for me: go to a farmers market and ask some farmers how they farm. What are they doing in relation to the issues that are important to you? It's just like studying a political candidate... just more important.

At Black Sheep Farms, we have made a commitment to make sure that we don't buy any seed from Monsanto's seed companies (Seminis, this means you). We go a step further and research the companies that we buy from to make sure they don't buy from Monsanto/Seminis. We don't want any of our money to go to companies that support genetic modification or agrichemicals. We are opposed to chemical sprays, artificial additives and tinkering with Mother Nature.

So, please don't stop at watching Food Inc. Start a discussion with your farmers. Start a discussion with your friends. Buy some food when it's ripe and delicious. Swear off corn syrup. Do anything that makes you feel like you're making progress. But, just take the next step.

At first glance, it seems like there's not much to do in January. Although it's 41F degrees right now, it won't stay that way for long. Yesterday, we took a family walk to enjoy the sunshine.

Kelly and I are actually pretty busy right now. We're planning our first year at the Farmers Market, so we are working on all the details that will result in tasty tomatoes and vibrant blossoms. It's not terribly easy to get to that point, especially when you consider seed.

Seed catalogs are one of the joys of winter. It gives the mind a chance to imagine a green world instead of a white one. We spend many hours leafing through the colorful pages. A giant problem lurks behind the photos. Many of the seed companies are owned by or get their seed from companies like Seminis and Monsanto. Since we are opposed to genetic modification, chemical dependency and a host of other "agri-business" concepts, we need to identify the sources of our seeds before we order. It takes a little digging, but it's worth the effort.

If you want to order seeds for your personal garden from a "safe zone," try Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. They specialize in preserving heirloom seeds, so you can find exciting food treasures that help continue a long line of human agriculture.