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Findin' non-GMO seed in the United States (Jan. 17, 2002 – CropChoice opinion) – In the debate over genetically modified crops, one sometimes hears talk of genetic contamination of organic and conventional varieties being so widespread that farmers, processors and consumers should just give up on finding non-genetically modified seed, ingredients and food. Well, that’s just what the biotechnology industry wants. Thankfully, the European Union refuses to relent to pressure from the U.S. government and – on this issue at least – its masters in the biotechnology industry. Consider that Croatia is working on legislation to ban the cultivation of transgenic crops. To the north, a new Austrian law, effective since Jan. 1, 2002, requires that seed have no contamination from genetically modified organisms above a level of 0.1 percent. The Czech Republic is implementing a new labeling law. An interesting bit of information on this subject comes from Lynn Clarkson, president of Illinois-based Clarkson Grain Co., Inc. In the 2003 planting year, two companies are gearing up to supply organic and non-transgenic seed to European farmers that meets the 0.1 percent standard. The seed will be grown in Europe, North America and South America. CropChoice has compiled a list of companies and farms that could supply non-gmo corn, cotton and soybean seed. The criterium for being on the list is that the company can supply seed that has "technical zero" level of transgenic contamination. This means that an accurate PCR analysis reveals 0.1 percent or less adventitious presence of genetically modified organisms. This "technical zero" may become the EU standard when new seed legislation is proposed this year. The continued international rejection of genetically modified crops, calls for labeling and growing farmer and consumer concern in the United States should help to spur demand for and supply of guaranteed non-transgenic seed for a long time to come. We’ve listed the seed growers’ and companies’ name, address, contact person, phone number and what types of seed they can supply. This list is by no means exhaustive and interested parties would have to request and pay for a PCR test. CropChoice will add to and update the list from time to time List: AgSource Seeds, Inc. Ken Rose 1717 E. 8th Street Boone, IA 50036 http://www.agsourceseeds.com 515.432.8100 Food and feed-grade corn, soybean seed. The customer must request a PCR and let them know the threshold they’ll tolerate. Albert Lea Seed House P.O. Box 127 Albert Lea, MN 56007 Tom Ehrhardt or Mack 507.373.3161 Corn, soybean seed. The customer must request a PCR test for soybeans, but the test for corn seed is standard; Minnesota Crop Improvement Association performs the test. Associated Farmers Delinting P.O. box 306 Littlefield, TX 79339 Bo Downer, cotton breeder 800.292.7333 Cotton seed. The company is in the process of testing seed lots. They have sent their Rocket and Explorer seed lines to Spain and Greece. They will know in 2-3 months whether they can meet the 0.1 percent standard. Behm Seed 17730 30th Ave. NE Atwater, MN 56209 Myron Behm 320.974.3003 Food and feed corn, soybean seed Boe’s Seed Farm PO Box 732 Madison, NB 68748 Jeff Boe 402.454.2884 Food and feed grade soybean, corn seed. Note, the larger the lot, the easier it is to guarantee purity. Boe prefers to supply sobyean seed in 5,000- to 50,000-unit lots. California Planting Cotton Seed Distributors John Palmer 661-399-1400 Exports cotton seed to Greece and Spain Campbell’s Seeds 1375 N. 800 West Tipton, ND 46072 800.788.5950 Scott Campbell Corn, soybean seed. The quantities requested would have to be large enough to warrant testing and sale. Committee for Agricultural Development at Iowa State University http://www.ag.iastate.edu/centers/cad This organization can provide farmers and organizations with foundation food- and feed-grade corn and soybean seed. Although growers would have to obtain a license to plant the seed, they could save offspring seed for their own use. Contact is Julie Gustafson at 515.294.4740. DeLange Seed, Inc. P.O. Box 7 Girard, KS 66743 Steve Ahring 620.724.6223 Soybean seed Delta and Pine Land http://www.deltapineseeds.com Dr. Tom Kirby, VP for Technical Services, 662.742.4542 Main number is 662.742.4000 Company has been providing non-gmo cotton seed to Greece, Spain and Turkey. It does testing, including PCR screening, for adventitious presence of GMOs. Delta King Seed, Co. http://www.deltakingseed.com PO Box 970 McCrory, AR 72101 James Churchill 1-877-DKSEEDS Soybean, corn seed Frontier Commodities 8255 Country Club Road W Byron, MN 55920 Dave Wilcox 507.775.2174 Corn, soybean seed. After farmers grow the seed under contract, the company sends it to either the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association or to BioDiagnostics for testing. Fairview Farms 2304 150th Street Corwith, IA 50430 515.583.2198 Food-grade soybean seed Gateway Seed Company 5517 Van Buren Road Nashville, IL 62263 618.327.8000 Ken Heinzman Corn and feed-grade soybean varieities. It is just beginning to venture into non-gmo clear hilium varieties for food purposes. Gries Seed Farms, Inc. 2348 North 5th Street Fremont, OH 43420 Ed Thurn 419.332.5571 Corn, soybean seed Jung Farm Seeds 314 S. High Randolph, WI 53956 Peter Jung 800.242.1855 Feed grade corn, soybean seed Kaltenberg Seed Farms 5506 Hwy 19, Box 278 Waunakee, WI 53597 Jack Kaltenberg 800.383.3276 Corn, soybean seed L.B. Wanamaker Seed Company PO Box 497 St. Matthews, SC 29135 Contact is L.B. Wanamaker Ph)803.874.3011 Soybean seed, though shipped only in small quantities Latham Seed Company 131 180th Street Alexander, IA 50420 Bill Latham 800.798.3258 Soybean seed Legend Seeds, Inc. Box 241 De Smet, SD 57231 800.678.3346 Soybean, corn seed Lemke Seed Farms 10220 N. Granville Rd. Mequon, WI 53097 Ralph Lemke 800.236.3583 Feed-grade corn, soybean seed McKaskle Organics 25 Washington St. P.O. Box 1 Braggadocia, MO Steve McKaskle 573.888.6500 McKaskle farms might be able to supply small quantities of cotton seed. NC+ Organics P.O. Box 4739 Lincoln, NE 68504-0408 Maury Johnson 800.279.7999 Company can provide food- and feed-grade corn and soybean seed (both organic and conventional). North Country Seed LLC P.O. Box 548 Ormsby, MN 56162 Joel Rabbe 507.736.2004 Food-grade soybean seed Northland Seed & Grain Corporation 462 Holly Ave. St. Paul, MN 55102 Amy Nankivil 507.454.5762 Corn and soybean seed (organic and conventional) Rodger and Sandy Farms 9201 Lindsay Road Bakersfield, CA 93311 Rodger or Sandy Sanders 661.837.0181 Cotton seed, conventional and organic varieties Schuster Farms 1883 Route 89 Seneca Falls, NY 13148 315.568.2978 Peter Schuster Food grade soybean seed The Scoular Company 2027 Dodge Street Omaha, NE 68102 402. 342-3500 Greg Lickteig - lickteig@scoular.com fax 402.342-4493 http://www.scoular.com Scoular supplies identity preserved corn & soybeans from the USA and Canada. Conventional or Organic. NON-GMO or Variety Specific. Cleaned or Not Cleaned. Bagged or Bulk. Truck, Rail, Container, Barge, or Vessel. Seeds of Change P.O. Box 15700 Santa Fe, NM 87506 http://www.seedsofchange.com Howard Shapiro Phone: (505)438-8080 Can do food- and feed-grade corn and soybean seed Specialty Grains 231 N. Sangamon Ave. Gibson City, IL 60936 217.784.4400 John Trewartha Not a seed company, per se, but has sold very specialized seed into Italy. Twin Peaks Trading Michael Pratt 734.480.7333 (office), 803.467.2596 (cell) organicvision@yahoo.com Soybean, corn seed sourced from various states. Pratt said that he hopes to provide organic canola seed, but that cotton seed would be a bit of a challenge. U.S. Soy LLC 2808 Thomasson Drive Mattoon, IL 61938 Ed Zimmer 217.235.1020 The company can supply food-grade soybeans. Their testing system is closed loop, relying on a protocol of PCR testing and grow-out that brings the beans to less than 0.1 percent contamination. The company could provide feed-grade soybean seed, but could do only strip testing to gauge the level of transgenic contamination.