Jay Schultz

Q: Is it true that GMO plants dont drop seeds to keep farmers having to go back year after year and buy new seeds? Essentially further commodifying the agricultural process?

Answered By Jay Schultz - Jun 26, 2015

A: The short answer is GMO plants will leave viable seed in a field; to fully answer your question is a bit more complicated.    With the exception of perennial crops like a hay field, farmers must plant new seeds every year and that seed has to come from somewhere. To clarify, seed does not drop and regrow a new crop the following year. There is always some seed that could not be harvested due to lodging or combine loss that could germinate in following years, and is referred to as “volunteers.”    The fact that a crop is a GMO or not is not relevan [...]

Answered By Jay Schultz - Jun 26, 2015

A: The short answer is GMO plants will leave viable seed in a field; to fully answer your question is a bit more complicated.    With the exception of perennial crops like a hay field, farmers must plant new seeds every year and that seed has to come from somewhere. To clarify, seed does not drop and regrow a new crop the following year. There is always some seed that could not be harvested due to lodging or combine loss that could germinate in following years, and is referred to as “volunteers.”    The fact that a crop is a GMO or not is not relevan [...]

Business Practices GMOs & Farmers

Q: Is it true that GMO plants dont drop seeds to keep farmers having to go back year after year and buy new seeds? Essentially further commodifying the agricultural process?

Answered By Jay Schultz - Jun 26, 2015

A: The short answer is GMO plants will leave viable seed in a field; to fully answer your question is a bit more complicated.    With the exception of perennial crops like a hay field, farmers must plant new seeds every year and that seed has to come from somewhere. To clarify, seed does not drop and regrow a new crop the following year. There is always some seed that could not be harvested due to lodging or combine loss that could germinate in following years, and is referred to as “volunteers.”    The fact that a crop is a GMO or not is not relevan [...]

Answered By Jay Schultz - Jun 26, 2015

A: The short answer is GMO plants will leave viable seed in a field; to fully answer your question is a bit more complicated.    With the exception of perennial crops like a hay field, farmers must plant new seeds every year and that seed has to come from somewhere. To clarify, seed does not drop and regrow a new crop the following year. There is always some seed that could not be harvested due to lodging or combine loss that could germinate in following years, and is referred to as “volunteers.”    The fact that a crop is a GMO or not is not relevan [...]

Business Practices GMOs & Farmers

Q: Is it true that seeds from GMOs dont reproduce well so the farmer has to continue buying new seeds from the manufacturer?

Answered By Jay Schultz - Aug 07, 2015

A: The fact whether a seed came from a GMO crop or not is not relevant in regards to its viability.    There are a few reasons why a farmer would not want to continually reuse common seed. If the GMO crop is a hybrid, the resulting F1 generation could have less vigour or disease resistance making it less desirable for agronomic reasons. A hybrid is not necessarily a GMO but would require new seed every year. See more on hybrid seed production here.    It's common practice to use certified seed which offers many benefits over reusing seed regardless of breeding proc [...]

Answered By Jay Schultz - Aug 07, 2015

A: The fact whether a seed came from a GMO crop or not is not relevant in regards to its viability.    There are a few reasons why a farmer would not want to continually reuse common seed. If the GMO crop is a hybrid, the resulting F1 generation could have less vigour or disease resistance making it less desirable for agronomic reasons. A hybrid is not necessarily a GMO but would require new seed every year. See more on hybrid seed production here.    It's common practice to use certified seed which offers many benefits over reusing seed regardless of breeding proc [...]

Q: Is it true that seeds from GMOs dont reproduce well so the farmer has to continue buying new seeds from the manufacturer?

Answered By Jay Schultz - Aug 07, 2015

A: The fact whether a seed came from a GMO crop or not is not relevant in regards to its viability.    There are a few reasons why a farmer would not want to continually reuse common seed. If the GMO crop is a hybrid, the resulting F1 generation could have less vigour or disease resistance making it less desirable for agronomic reasons. A hybrid is not necessarily a GMO but would require new seed every year. See more on hybrid seed production here.    It's common practice to use certified seed which offers many benefits over reusing seed regardless of breeding proc [...]

Answered By Jay Schultz - Aug 07, 2015

A: The fact whether a seed came from a GMO crop or not is not relevant in regards to its viability.    There are a few reasons why a farmer would not want to continually reuse common seed. If the GMO crop is a hybrid, the resulting F1 generation could have less vigour or disease resistance making it less desirable for agronomic reasons. A hybrid is not necessarily a GMO but would require new seed every year. See more on hybrid seed production here.    It's common practice to use certified seed which offers many benefits over reusing seed regardless of breeding proc [...]