Wood Prairie Farm

OSGATA President To Give Special Address at Slow Money 4th National Gathering

OSGATA President Jim Gerritsen will deliver a special address to a Slow Money 4th National Gathering plenary session, entitled "OSGATA  et al. v.  Monsanto  -  Family Farmers Seeking Justice," at the Boulder Theater, in Boulder, CO, on April 29. Gerritsen will join Dave Murphy, founder of co-plaintiff Food Democracy Now! the following afternoon for a panel session on GMOs.

Since their inaugural event in 2009, Slow Money National Gatherings have been lauded as a significant venue for fostering social change through their focus on social entrepreneurship. The event is known for encouraging shared learning across a range of backgrounds-from practiced donors and individual investors to farmers and food business start-ups. 

"I've seen firsthand how Slow Money Maine is locally beginning to change the face of Maine agriculture," said Gerritsen, who is a Maine organic seed farmer. "When I was asked to address the Slow Money National Gathering in Boulder, I thought this would be a great opportunity to let leaders in the good food community across the United States learn about our lawsuit against Monsanto and our family farmers' quest for justice." 

Monsanto has sued, or settled out of court with, more than 844 family farms since 1997 over assertions of patent infringement. The landmark lawsuit  challenges the validity of Monsanto's genetically engineered seed patents and seeks Court protection for family farmers who, through no fault of their own, may become contaminated by Monsanto's patented genetically engineered (GE) seed  and find themselves accused of patent infringement.

Gerritsen said, "We're not customers of Monsanto. We don't want their seed. We don't want their technology. We don't want their trespass onto our farms. We don't want their contamination on our crops. We want them to behave as good neighbors and keep their transgenic pollution on their side of the fence."

Gerritsen joins Carlo Patrini, Wes Jackson, and Winona La Duke, as well as other luminary speakers, for this year's National Gathering - which kicks off on Sunday, April 28, with a reception, and ends on Tuesday April 30.

The two day conference allows participants access to dozens of addresses and breakout sessions. Topics range from identifying and channeling new sources of capital to local food systems, to addressing challenges shared by farmers and food producers. The full conference schedule is available here.

Gerritsen will be delivering his 15-minute address at 11:45 am on Monday, April 29. The breakout session entitled "GMOs" will be at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, April 30.

Registration is still open.

Breaking News

OSGATA et al v. Monsanto Press Releases

OSGATA et al v. Monsanto - Lawsuit Documents

Wood Prairie News Departments

Press release 12.29.11

 

Oral Argument Scheduled in OSGATA v. Monsanto

 

NEW YORK – December 29, 2011 –In a development heralded by the organic plaintiffs, Judge Naomi Buchwald announced yesterday that oral argument on Monsanto’s motion to dismiss in OSTATA et al v. Monsanto will be heard Tuesday January 31, 2012 at 10am in federal district court in Manhattan.

 

The eighty-three family farmers, small and family owned seed businesses, and agricultural organizations which comprise the organic plaintiff group represent over 300,000 individuals. The landmark organic community lawsuit, filed in March 2011, challenges the validity of Monsanto’s transgenic/GMO patents and seeks court protection for innocent family farmers who may become contaminated by Monsanto seed.

 

“We are grateful that Judge Buchwald has agreed to our request to hear oral argument on the motion,” said Jim Gerritsen, President of lead plaintiff Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association based in Montrose, Colorado. “Last August we submitted our written rebuttal and it made clear that Monsanto’s motion was without merit. Our legal team, from the Public Patent Foundation, is looking forward to orally presenting our position. The family farmers deserve their day in court. We are anxious that this case go to trial as soon as possible so that our innocent farmers may receive Court protection.”

 

Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association is the organic seed industry membership trade organization established to develop and protect the organic seed industry and its mission to provide excellent organic seed for the needs of local organic agriculture. Paypal donations to OSGATA’s “Farmer Travel Fund” (www.osgata.org) are encouraged in an effort to raise funds to enable family farmers in the plaintiff group to attend the court proceedings and related events.

Background information on the OSGATA v. Monsanto lawsuit may be found at www.osgata.org and www.woodprairiefarm.com.

Wood Prairie Farm, 49 Kinney Road, Bridgewater, Maine 04735
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