#BAD 11: Monsanto's perfect pumpkin

Fall is officially here in Seattle! The trees are starting to blush and my coop has pumpkins pilled high ready to be carved or baked. Since World Food Day and the Right2Know March are both happening in the month of October, I thought no better crop to research for my GMO blog than the beloved pumpkin. This year's pumpkin harvest is estimated to bring in over $116.5 million in sales! (Agriculture Marketing Resource Center) The top pumpkin producing states are CA, IL, NY, OH,PA, MI. With that level of revenue available, I thought Monsanto must have it's stake in the industry with it's version of the "perfect" pumpkin. Sure enough Monsanto has been working on such a product but so far it isn't a GE product. The truth is that most pumpkins, organic or conventional, are the result of years of selective breeding for shape, color, and disease resistance. Monsanto entered the pumpkin business back in 2006 and has stuck to traditional methods of breeding in greenhouses and so far hasn't offered a split-gene pumpkin seed for sale.

So what is Monsanto looking for in a pumpkin? Well for them it is all about the peduncles or stem of the pumpkin which is key in making the perfect jack-o'lantern lid. I was surprised when I discovered this, I would have thought they would have gone for shape or color.

Monsanto owns the majority of the conventional pumpkin seeds out on the market through their recent acquisition of one of the largest seed companies in the world, Seminis.  Seminis produces and distributes more than 3,000 types of vegetable and flower seeds and one their most popular products is the Prizewinner Pumpkin - Seed #2212.  Regardless of what Monsanto does with the pumpkin seed in the future, they still take home a nice slice of the pumpkin pie every fall season through their seeds sales. So if you want to keep Monsanto out of your pie and off your front porch this fall, buy organic first and local if available. Alternatively you could try planting your own pumpkins next year, they thrive on a nutrient rich soil such as an old compost mound.