June Seedy Sunday - Winter Planting

The next 'Seedy Sunday' will be on 1 June from 10.30am - 12.00pm. 

We'll be talking about Safe Seeds given the outcome in the landmark court case in Western Australia this week and how to protect our seed bank from GM contamination. We will also chat about winter crops to grow now. 

Bring a friend or neighbour, seeds/plant material to share or just come along to meet like-minded locals.

Activities for June

According to the moon calendar, there is an 11 day cycle of prolific growth for above ground plants starting 29 May - a good time to get stuck into Winter planting. Beans, peas, brassicas (like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mustard and kale), leafy greens (like spinach, chard, rocket and lettuce) + many other vegies grow well at this time of year.

Rainbow chard

If you have cuttings to spare, please wrap the stems in some wet newspaper or paper towel to keep them fresh for longer.

What to Plant in June

Check out these guides for other ideas/tips:

Gardenate - Subtropical zone.

ABC Vegie Gardening Guide.

Aussie Organic Gardening.

This month's Seed Savers Meeting

We meet at Sweethearts Cafe who offer us a large space to get together for free (saving us a hall hire fee so no cost to you) but as a business are in effect hiring out that area to us for a couple of hours.

So as a courtesy please remember to at the very least order a tea/coffee or a yummy meal, to support the cafe. They have a delicious local and organic menu. Visit their website for more info @ http://www.sweetheartscafe.com.au/aboutus.html.

Venue: 2 Anzac Street (cnr Rosebed Street), Eudlo.

FREE to attend so bring a friend and carpool! Hope to see you soon.

By Anne Gibson

Outcome of GM Case to Affect Food Safety

As a seed saver and food grower, you are likely worried about the effects of genetically modified crops on your health and the environment. GM is a major threat to food safety world wide and should be of major concern to everyone interested in eating and growing safe food.

The long awaited outcome of the landmark GM Case with Steve Marsh in Western Australia was announced on Wednesday 28 May, 2014. The Guardian summarises the outcome in their article.

This is a brief video with the background on this case:

There is also an interesting article on the history of how the contamination occurred and some of the issues from both sides via Steve Marsh and the Bad Seeds.

True Food Network reports on the impact we will all feel in the safety of our future food system:

GM Farmer's Win is a Loss for all Organic and Non GM Farmers

"Today we are deeply disappointed to inform you that Steve Marsh lost his case to stop GM canola coming on to his farm. The future of organic and non GM food in Australia is uncertain after a WA farmer today lost his legal battle with a neighbouring farmer.

Steve Marsh lost organic certification on his Kojonup farm - and most of his livelihood - when his farm was contaminated by GM canola. He sued his neighbour in the WA Supreme Court for his losses, and to protect his farm into the future.

The court in its summary and judgment stated the decision by NASAA (National Association of Sustainable Agriculture Australia) to decertify Steve was erroneous. Given the extent of the contamination of Steve's farm we fail to see how NASAA could have taken any other decision. Certainly 100% of organic consumers would support the NASAA decision.

Because the court did not recognise the NASAA decertification, the court did not recognise the economic loss Steve suffered, and dismissed the case that Steve had brought for negligence and nuisance.

Scott Kinnear, director of the Safe Food Foundation, says he is very disappointed and gravely concerned for Steve Marsh and his family and their farm and for the future of organic and non GM food in Australia remaining GM free.

"This is a huge setback for organic and Non GM farmers and their choice to remain GM Free."

"This has been an important test case, of interest to many parties, locally and globally.

"If Steve on legal advice chooses to take this case further, the Safe Food Foundation will continue to work to legally protect the rights of Australian consumers to buy organic produce free of GM."

"We also call on our legislators to work on finding a solution to this vexed issue. State and Federal governments have continuously stated that the solution to any GM contamination events is common law. This has clearly failed today and demonstrates that the law has not kept up with new technologies such as GM."

"We thank Steve Marsh who has risked his farm to make a stand for all of us, a move that demonstrated his courage, tenacity and integrity."

Mr Kinnear also thanked Slater & Gordon and the many people and businesses in more than 30 countries who contributed amounts large and small to this landmark case, but warned them that the battle may not be over.

You can follow the story and support Steve via Safe Food Foundation.

While law firm Slater & Gordon donated its legal services, other costs were provided through a unique crowd-sourced funding campaign organised by the Safe Food Foundation.

Prospects of an Appeal: Steve's lawyers will study the judgment and advise Steve of his legal options. We will get back to you if Steve decides to appeal.

Your support to assist us to repay the last of our loans is gratefully appreciated so that we can leap into action to further support Steve if the need arises."

The Safe Food Foundation has a lot of information online about GM and you may find it worth spending time to learn more. Here are some of their resources:

• Research articles and papers on GM
• Links to other anti-GM organisations
• Other Cases of GM Contamination in Australia
• Open Earth Source 'GMO Myths & Truths' - an evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops

What can you do?

• Saving and sourcing GM free seed has never been more important than now. Continue to share this information and be diligent about the exact source of the seed you buy and grow in your garden.

• Ensure you ask questions from suppliers and that especially includes buying seedlings from nurseries and retailers who may be selling GM seed raised crops. Even if you raise seedlings organically, you could still be inadvertently contaminating your garden with GM crops.

• There are many local certified organic seed sources - make sure you support these businesses and suppliers so you grow safe food and protect the integrity of our seed bank. This is a constantly updated list of seed suppliers you can refer to and share to buy safe seed.

• Visit True Food Network's list of resources and update yourself on the latest information and ways you can become more informed in your daily decisions.

Seed Freedom Fortnight

From 2^nd October (Gandhi’s Birth Anniversary) to 16^th October (World Food Day) the Global Alliance for Seed Freedom is planning Seed Freedom Fortnight - "a fortnight of intense actions for seed freedom ... The purpose of these intense actions is to draw as much public and government attention to the issue of Seed Freedom as possible so as to invoke changes in policy for the future of seeds and farmers in India and across the world."

http://www.youtube.com/user/occupytheseed

Take Action Locally

Many seed savers around the world are getting active during this time and we encourage you to do so too. Locally, there are many activities we can take to support this initiative and call to action including:

• Educate others about the importance of seeds for our food security; seed saving; where to source heirloom and open-pollinated seeds; and GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and their devastating impact on food crops, health and the environment (read just one example -'GMO alert: Eating GM wheat may destroy your liver, warn scientists').
• Invite neighbours, family, friends and colleagues to our Seedy Sunday group. Sharing practical skills and hands-on learning helps empower people in our community to take responsibility for the food crops in their own backyard.

• Plant diversity - grow a wide variety of food crops at home - as much as you can in the space you have. Learn about which food plants grow well in your local microclimate and buy, swap or share seeds to expand this diversity each season.
• Support other seed saver groups and share resources, knowledge and seed banks. This helps keep seeds fresh, viable and circulating back into the community.
• Build a knowledge base locally. No one person grows everything so we all need to know what plants do well at our place and share this information with others who may not have this experience. 
• Give seeds away - share your surplus with the seed bank, your friends and neighbours. A seed is a plant-in-waiting - a dozen different seeds is a garden waiting to be planted. Pop a few seeds into an envelope and share with someone as a gift.  

Learn to Grow Your Own Food from Seed

We'd love you to come along on Tuesday, 2 October to Permaculture Eudlo's meeting to learn how to grow your own food from seed. Join in and see the group working together to provide tips and tricks for growing edible food from seeds. Since this is a workshop, the plan is to have everyone actually undertake some planting. So you need to bring some things along to be able to participate.

1. Pots or seed trays to plant your seeds int;
2. A packet of seeds (of a crop that is coming into season, like cucumber, capsicum, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, bush beans, squash and zucchini) to share;
3. Potting mix/soil/seed raising mix/compost or just your special mix;
4. A willingness to share your experiences and participate in this activity.

If you have a spare plastic tablecloth or some newspaper that can be used to place over the tables to protect them during this workshop please bring them along. Check the website for contact details.

Seed Saving Presentation

The following month on Tuesday, 6 November, you are also invited to a Seed Saving Presentation at Permaculture Eudlo to learn more about this important skill and the urgency of why we need to act now.

If you have any suggestions for activities or initiatives during Seed Freedom Fortnight or general feedback, please leave a comment.

By Anne Gibson

Seeds Are The Key to a GMO-Free Food Future

The following excerpt from an article by Lisa Marshall of NewHope360.com is worth reading. It's enlightening to read what's happening to the "organic" seed industry with biotech companies involved and reminds us of the importance of maintaining the integrity of ALL of the seeds we sow and save in our own backyards to avoid contamination.

A single food seed can be as tiny as a grain of sand. Yet many say the fate of the entire organic industry rests upon our efforts to protect the integrity of these small, but vital agricultural inputs.

“Seed is the first resource in our food production chain, so its integrity is vital to the success of organic farmers. Yet little has been done to address the issue of genetic contamination,” says Kristina Hubbard, director of advocacy for the Organic Seed Alliance. “I don’t think seed is getting enough attention.”

As the natural foods industry gears up for an unprecedented assault on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), much emphasis has been placed on convincing government to label foods containing GMOs and on swaying grocers and manufacturers to rid them from the retail shelf. But Hubbard and others say those actions will mean little if farmers can’t find clean, GMO-free seed to plant in the first place.

Thanks to floating pollen, stowaway seeds on delivery trucks, and the fact that even organic farmers must turn  to conventional seed due to a shortage of organic varieties, seed experts say the vast majority of corn growing in the United States already contains some degree of genetically modified (GM) material. Soy, canola and alfalfa are also high on the list for possible contamination.

Even non-GM seed breeders—forced to buy their genetic material from biotech companies in an age of increased seed company consolidation—can’t guarantee that their seeds are genetically pure anymore, says OSA founder and consultant Matt Dillon. Furthermore, because funding for university research into natural, non-GM alternatives is a fraction of what it once was, Dillon says that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find innovative solutions to protect the non-GM seed that still exists.

Meanwhile, organic consumers are growing outraged that even when they buy “organic” or “non-GMO” products, they may still be eating genetically altered food.

So what’s the answer?

“We have to create our own seed system,” says Dillon, who will join stakeholders from industry and nonprofits to roll out a host of seed-preservation initiatives in the coming months. “If we just say ‘stop GMOs’ and we don’t protect and develop the seeds we really need, we haven’t succeeded at anything.”

Read the full article here.

What are your thoughts?