Doc Holliday Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Ok, I know this may sound a little odd but I'm interested to know where, or from whom, you guys buy your cereal crops. I'm not interested in starting a new business venture or anything like that, it's from a health perspective if I'm honest. If you don't want to post it publicly then please PM me with the info. I will divulge all later. Thanks & regards, Doc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav912 Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Usually agricultural merchants like Frontier Agriculture and small local ones. We do save some of our own seed as well and get it cleaned up and treated by a mobile seed dressing service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Same here just buy a couple of bags for next years seed rest is home saved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peck Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 they don't "buy" them from anyone they "grow" them, that's why they call them crops. if you are asking who they buy their seed from that's different see above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Holliday Posted February 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Thanks Gav & Johnny. Not sure what peck is griping on about. I don't really get people who post replies that don't offer any solid answers. Perhaps because I'm not up on the business of buying/growing grains, hence the reason for my posting the question so that I can be in lieu of the facts. As a lay person I was "assuming" that seed crop would be purchased for cereal farmers to grow as I know, from my considerably limited experience, that growing the seed from a hybridised crop doesn't produce good results. Seeing as that isn't the case and having been made aware of that fact, I can consider myself educated in that department. Again, sincere thanks for the valid answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Most large agricultural merchants/suppliers sell named varieties of seed corn or will get it in to order. There are also specialist suppliers of seeds and fertilizers. We buy ours from Mole Valley Farmers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peck Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Here's just one firm that develops new wheat varieties. Look on the web and you will find lots more each claiming that their's is the best. A lot of farmers will buy new seed wheat and barley from one of the big companies, they grow it that year and then use that for a couple of seasons before they buy new again. http://www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/wheat.aspx Sorry didn't mean to be rude with the last post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Here's just one firm that develops new wheat varieties. Look on the web and you will find lots more each claiming that their's is the best. A lot of farmers will buy new seed wheat and barley from one of the big companies, they grow it that year and then use that for a couple of seasons before they buy new again. http://www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/wheat.aspx Sorry didn't mean to be rude with the last post. And they are one of the worlds largest agri chemical manufacturers with more than a vested interest in GM crops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Holliday Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 No worries peck, we all have off moments I'm sure. Charlie, you're a gem. That was going to be a line of enquiry not too far off. I've been reading about how grains affect us and how they have been modified over the years, either through crossing species or through GM. I know crossing species is a kind of GM but I mean where the guy in a white coat messes with the DNA of the grain directly. What it ultimately boils down to is that grains are essentially carbohydrate and excessive carbohydrate consumption has an adverse affect on the body by heightening insulin levels, having an inflammatory effect on the body and its organs and how the bran affects the intestinal tract, etc. Fascinating stuff but I just wanted to do a little digging of my own. As we are have known for a long time too much carbohydrate is not good for you but for some reason we have been led to believe that grains are healthy for us. See the paradox? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I don't want to alter the thread but I am interested in GM cereal crops, My understanding is that the above mentioned chemical firms main interest is in breeding cereals that are resistant to their weed killer, having this seed/plant allows farmers to spray cereals with the said weed killer without damaging crops. this in turn CAN be responsible for the lack of wild flowers as mentioned in a thread a couple of weeks ago and possible run off to our water courses if this is a bad thing is for the individual to decide. My interest is with research in GM cereal crops that fix nitrogen from the atmosphere without the need of N fertilisers (as in peas) this has huge implications for poor farmers around the world, and yes we have GM just about every farm animal and crop simply by selective breeding, sorry to hijack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 and yes we have GM just about every farm animal and crop simply by selective breeding, sorry to hijack There is a world of difference between plant/animal selective breeding and genetic engineering/modification. To the best of my knowledge, there are no transgenic animals in a farm environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 There is a world of difference between plant/animal selective breeding and genetic engineering/modification. To the best of my knowledge, there are no transgenic animals in a farm environment. Cheers . My understanding of modification is the manipulation of genes (or anything) to suit your purpose I am very interested in this subject with a long background in agriculture and keen to hear other peoples views, may I ask your views on the rest of the post. My personal view is that GM is the way forward in world agriculture but must be used for the greater good rather than a fast buck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I too believe there are many benefits to be gained from GM. My one big fear, like you, is that, as with Monsanto and Glyphosate, the main drive will be for the large bucks rather than the benefit of mankind and the environment. As you suggest, just imagine the benefits if say corn could be modified to fix N the same way legumes do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I too believe there are many benefits to be gained from GM. My one big fear, like you, is that, as with Monsanto and Glyphosate, the main drive will be for the large bucks rather than the benefit of mankind and the environment. As you suggest, just imagine the benefits if say corn could be modified to fix N the same way legumes do. Good stuff, it would be good if people could see some benefits with GM instead of the negatives that are bandied about, I spent some time at the ucnw Bangor and looked at N fixing in Rice via Bacteria (sounds more complicated than it was) , as an aside i use to do lambing and shearing near Dulverton, loved it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Holliday Posted February 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 The trouble with GM crops is that there is not enough research, if any, done as to their long term effects on the human body. It's all very well saying they can benefit the advancement of humankind but where is the research that supports that? There will also be negative issues as well as positive ones but I dare say these won't be readily published. In the last 40 years or so since hybridising species we have seen a dramatic increase in things like obesity, type 2 diabetes (yes I know this is a condition caused by obesity), neurodegenerative diseases of one sort or another, cancers of all kinds, leaky gut syndrome (didn't have that one in the past) and a plethora of other ailments. If GM production is put in to general practice then we will have one heck of fight on our hands as to the legitimate info about it as, unfortunately, the big companies will only have the value of their shares and investors as their primary concern as hinted at above by CharlieT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Very good points, Concerning research it is a very long time since i was at college and had an interest in the subject, I hope things have advanced since then and the benefits should be freely available, repeat I hope, As you pointed out Multi -nationals are paying for the research and their interests are their interests not philanthropic, my concern is the worlds ability to feed itself without the expense of and sometimes damaging agricultural inputs which again are the product of the multi-nationals. Regarding related illnesses, certainly poor diet is a problem all over the world with far to much of the wrong food eaten in the west and not enough of any food eaten elsewhere, sorry if my points are a bit lame but I am no expert, just interested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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