Anyone test positive for Triffid?

[bucket]

I understand your concern from the organic side. If a producer bought registered Bethune seed from a seed grower who had been trickling in that triffed seed he didn't want to sell for half price - an organic producer could have triffid in his flax.

I asked this before - if a certified organic producer unknowning grows triffid flax organically should it be considered a gmo event?

My way of thinking is no and if the grower has documentation to that effect, it shouldn't be a problem.

But I also think that if my convention flax comes back with a clean bill of health, I should not be paying for certified seed in 2010. Iam going test both my seed that went in the ground from 2009 and the resulting crop from that seed. If the 105 buck test says its clean than I have followed the rules and paid my farming fee.

[parsley]

My observations bucket:

1. It's a seed grower credibility issue. The offenders are still in business, aren't they.

2. It's a financial issue. Organic Harvey didn't plan on buying GMO flax seed (if it shows up somewhere). So far, all gene testing in Europe for organic passes the testing. But if it doesn't in the future,there is financial loss.

3. It's a varietal segregation issue with the trust componenet gone awry. How do you even know what variiety you are grwoing if the breeders are careless? Even the plot testing data becomes meaningless. The tests farmers fund.

Will you be buying seed from any irresponsible dope once you get your test back negative? And end up at square one again?

4, It's a decency issue. An integrity issue. The leadership exhibits neither, imho.

[Fransisco]

"Surely you realize that organic production entirely disallows genetically modified seed. Always have."

You've said this before but as far as I can tell it's not true. In the end organics is about process and always has been. Follow the process, do the paperwork and you get your stamp.

Process and product are two different things.

[parsley]

With regards to flax, there was only Canada who had genetically modified flax, and the elite seed growers were instructed to crush it. Why would anyone test flax?

As I have said before, European importers regularly test organic grain. Including flax last fall.

Even some of our grain has been tested in Europe. No fee, either. Pars

[bluefargo]

I am a seed grower. I tested 3 lots of seed which I felt represented the various sources of seed on my place - 1 Bethune 2 Sorrel
All came back negative

[bluefargo]

I am a seed grower. I tested 3 lots of seed which I felt represented the various sources of seed on my place - 1 Bethune 2 Sorrel
All came back negative

[haveapulse]

Had a grower advise me of a positive test from flax grown from certified seed. Todate he had not been advised by any official agency of what he should be doing with his flax. Todate he had not been contacted in any manner to advise him of the proper protocol of management of his inventory.

Which leads to the question who is minding the store?

Can anyone tell us if there any protocol on what a farmer does when their flax tests positive.
It seems to me there should be some protocol on management of this inventory?

On a good note, our pedigreed flax, CDC Sorrel and Bethune also tested negative.

[food4u]

We are commercial growers and our samples came back negative.Delivered the sample on Nov.10th and got areply on Dec.8th, after three phone calls.

[bucket]

For a bit of fun if everyone posts their results and where they got their seed do you think we can find the source quicker than the cgc, saskflax, flaxcouncil of canada, and all the other living off checkoffs.

Horatio (CSI Miami) would be proud.

[ColevilleH2S]

I hate David Caruso...oops a bit off topic.

[bucket]

Basically it doesn't matter. The flax council, saskflax,seedgrowers,cgc, and all the graincos have said we are all guilty.

So we are left to pay the costs of a few greedy seedgrowers that couldn't stand to sell at commercial prices.

If the seedgrowers wanted to accept the responsibilty of this mess which is clearly their fault, they would be selling flaxseed at current market prices or offering an exchange on flax. You take them 500 bushels of flaxseed that THEY infected and they give you 500 bushels of so called cleaned,certified, and gmtested seed back.

Not likely the seedgrowers are going to do that right?

To the seedgrowers on this thread that I may have offended - I apologize - but the flax producers got painted with one stroke.

The seedgrowers should be able to stand up, admit their responsibility, and do right for their industry if they gave a shit about it.

Triffid flax was not released for commercial development so the buck basically stops at your farms and so should the guilt. My take on this whole mess is that seedgrowers trickled the triffid into seed lots as they seen fit. And now they want to be paid to do it all over again.

[checking]

Bucket, that was the exact same message I sent to Barry Hall, president of the Flax Council, yesterday, to state to his certified flax growing cohorts.

His comment on requiring us peasants to buy certified seed for 2010 as the best way to solve the problem, (effectively rewarding the same scum that propagated this mess), made me see the colour of flax.

[cottonpicken]

Read something once that always stuck with me.

"millions of germans and nobody had the courage to put a bullet in him(hitler)"

[bucket]

Very good cotton.

But if farmers send the flax industry the message that they don't like the idea of being forced to buy certified seed, do you think anyone will listen?

I have emailed the flax council my displeasure of being forced to reward seed growers who caused the problem in the first place but they still hold to the idea that no one has done anything illegal in growing triffid flax.

Nice. Real nice to have an organization funded by farmers protecting the seed growers.

[parsley]

checking,

What was the atmosphere like? Tense? Managed? Did anyone stick up for ordinary guys like me? Or was it filled with pompous asses? Many attending? Pars