As Patents Expire, Farmers Plant Generic GMOs
21st March 2016
Billy Maddox planted 100 acres of Roundup Ready soybeans this year. The big news is he didn’t pay Monsanto a dime.
It’s been 20 years since Monsanto developed its first genetically modified crops. Now some of its early patents are starting to expire, leading to the first “generic GMOs”—off-patent seeds that cost half as much and which farmers are free to save and replant.
Maddox is a seed dealer who works with conventional varieties. This year was the first time he ever sold any GMOs. From the acres he planted he was able to collect thousands of bags of seeds genetically engineered to resist glyphosate, the weed killer Monsanto markets as Roundup.
“We cleaned it, bagged it, and sold it. I tried to make a little bit of money,” says Maddox, speaking in a Southern drawl as he drives down a road somewhere near Jonesboro, Arkansas. “Oh yeah, the farmer saves money. If they buy it from me this year, they can plant for themselves next year.”