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Planting Clarity! Simpson Seed Library and Ag Dept Wrap Up
Planting Clarity! Simpson Seed Library and Ag Dept Wrap Up: I have been writing about events with the Simpson Seed Library and Pennsylvania Department of Ag for a number of weeks. This is my wrap-up addressing What the Seed Libraries need to do to come into alignment with current Seed Laws. I report on my conversations with Johnny Zook, the Seed Program Rep. I am aiming to clarify some of the information that created a Viral firestorm.
Date: 8/15/2014 8:20:11 PM ( 10 y ) ... viewed 4437 times
Breaking news from the plant your dream blog !
September 8 2015
From the national Heirloom Expo hey Zen Sunny got as then I'm good have a good
"we got it fixed in Pennsylvania"--
Brian Snyder, PASA
Breaking news from the plant your dream blog!
The seed library challenge that began in July 2014 at the Simpson library has been fixed.
On the phone this morning, the first morning of the pure food revolution next level, with Brian Snyder, executive director of PASA, Pennsylvania Association of sustainable agriculture.
The first paragraph from a letter from Fred are Stratmeyer Jr, deputy secretary for the Pennsylvania department of agriculture reads:
After reviewing your June 16, 2015 letter and the affirmations related to the practices of the Simpson library in managing their seed bank, the department has determined the Simpson library does not meet the definition of a "distribut" as defined in the Seed Law. It appears they are not selling, offering for sale are exposing seed for sale. Therefore, the Edex of the seed law do not apply.
PLANTING CLARITY
Plant your dream blog
http://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2196853
This needs an update it was last updated last summer
TIPS TO WIN BACK OUR SACRED SEEDS AND OUTGROW GMOs http://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2255574
ANOTHER SEED LIBRARY UPDATE
FEB 25, 2015
http://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2239114
This needs an update…December 27, 2014 Noted…This was written August 15, 2014.
PLEASE LISTEN AND READ THIS…
STATE RESPONDS TO SEED LIBRARY CONTROVERSY
August 13, 2014
http://www.alleghenyfront.org/story/state-responds-seed-library-controversy
PLANTING A SEED FOR CLARITY FOR THE SIMPSON SEED LIBRARY-PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AG EVENT
This is the photo that appears in The Sentinel News Article by Naomi Cleason of July 31, 2014 submitted of the Joseph T. Simpson Seed Library.
I have been on an extensive two week journey inspired by events at Simpson Seed Library and its communications with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. My intent in writing this Plant Your Dream Blog is to contribute toward setting the record straight. This event brought me up to speed with the existence of the Seed Library movement. I was familiar with the existence of the Petaluma Seed Bank through my relationship with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and the National Heirloom Expo that it produces. I am a speaker there.
I do not imagine that too many will read this report. It needed to be written. I believe a national conversation on Seed Saving, Support for Seed Libraries, and GMO Education will come through the Simpson Seed Library-Department of Ag interactions. My intention is to plant this seed through the Plant Your Dream Blogs in this series. I want to help bring Seed Libraries to a new level of public awareness, I believe that many people who never heard of Seed Libraries are now getting them on their radar.
My personal initiative is that I would like Uncle Sam to marry Auntie GMO, the Anti GMO movement. I see this coming through a shift of consciousness that comes out of the U.S. becoming again a nation of Gardeners. I see this as a value expressed through our Founding Gardener Presidents. I see a need for more of us to get Engaged in growing Heirloom Seeds and Ancient Grains before Uncle Sam Gets Married to Auntie (Anti) GMO. Helping Uncle Sam Marry Auntie (Anti) GMO is my focus for the upcoming National Heirloom Expo September 9,10,11, 2014 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa, CA. See the list of all speakers here. The Campaign to Grow A Healthier Pizza The Campaign to Grow A Healthier Pizza is my umbrella project to help Gov get economically healthy. This health will come through understanding the Value in Real Food grown by and with Sacred Seeds.
There was a National Seed Library Summit
at this Heirloom Expo scheduled for 4-6 pm, Wed, September 10. I met some of the leaders.
OTHER PLANT YOUR DREAM BLOGS IN THIS SERIES
I ordered some memorability from the Simpson Public Library site that arrived August 18, 2014. I would like to take these to The National Heirloom Expo September 9,10,11 in Santa Rosa, Ca, where I will teach as well as participate in a National Seed Library Summit. I went into the garden to plant Ancient Grains of Kamut ® Khorasan wheat today that had been sprouting during the last week. I am planting seeds for clarity around the Simpson Seed Library-Department of Ag Communications. May good come from the communication. May all our work pave the way for Seed Libraries to continue to flourish with the well wishes of all. May a National Conversation emerge in support of Seed Saving, Support for Seed Libraries, and GMO Education. I wrote Plant Your Dream Blogs to contribute to this clarity and good outcomes. Today, I heard from Johnny Zook, Seed Program Supervisor, Penn Department of Ag, and Jonelle Darr, Cumberland County Executive Director, home of the Simpson Seed Library. Darr thanked me for attempting to correct the facts and said, "From what I could see, the information that you have regarding my statements, and the library's actions are correct." Johnny Zook said he liked the story and that I included what needed to be told regarding their communications. Here is the story, "Planting Clarity! Simpson Seed Library and Ag Dept Wrap Up," "Planting Clarity! Simpson Seed Library and Ag Dept Wrap Up," --Leslie Goldman, Your Enchanted Gardener, August 18, 2014.
PLANTING CLARITY! SIMPSON SEED LIBRARY AND AG DEPT WRAP UP
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2196853
SEED PROTOCOL DISCUSSION GROUP NOTES
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=2197727
PLANTING SEEDS FOR A NATIONAL CONVERSATION
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2193937
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA ASKING FOR SUPPORT FOR SEED LIBRARIES AND GMO EDUCATION
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2193991
HELPING UNCLE SAM MARRY AUNTIE (ANTI) GMO
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2181365
TEACHINGS FOR THE NATIONAL HEIRLOOM EXPO FROM LESLIE GOLDMAN 2014
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=2197699
COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE SIMPSON LIBRARY AND THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AG ON THE SIMPSON LIBRARY SITE
A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF CORRESPONDENCE AND PRESS ON THE JOSEPH T. SIMPSON LIBRARY SITE REGARDING THEIR SEED LIBRARY
The Simpson Public Library has done a wonderful job of detailing the main communications about the unfoldment of these events.
http://www.cumberlandcountylibraries.org/?q=SIM_SeedLibrary
This Art, How Fast Can a Dream Grow! As Fast as a Blade of Grass! is the centerpiece of our Grow A Healthier Pizza Campaign. Canvas copies are available. Contact me, 619.384.2631.
A GROWING NUMBER OF SEED LIBRARIES NOW EXIST IN MANY PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
This is the way the Seed Library has been working;
Seed libraries, often located in public libraries or other community gathering points, are institutions created for the purpose of sharing seeds. The idea is that a library patron can “check-out” seeds to grow themselves, let “go-to-seed”, and then return seeds to the library to share with other community members. The seeds circulated at lending libraries are usually regionally-adapted and heirloom (unlike most commercial “hybrid” seeds, so that the next generation of seeds will produce plants similar to the parent plant). The purpose of most seed libraries is to provide an alternative to genetically modified seeds, increase biodiversity and plant resilience, and reconnect local people with their food systems.
More about Seed Libraries are found on the seed library social network site
RETURNING SEEDS TO THE SIMPSON LIBRARY
The issue that surfaced through interactions between the Simpson Seed Library and the Pennsylvania Department of Ag was the problem of returning seeds to the Public Library Seed Library. This brought the Seed Library under regulation through the Seed Law of Pennsylvania that has specific rules for seed distributors, Many States have similar seed laws that mirror a Federal seed Law.
MANY SEED LIBRARIES BECAME CONCERNED WHEN THE STORY ABOUT THE SIMPSON SEED LIBRARY AND ITS INTERACTIONS WITH THE PENN DEPARTMENT OF AG WENT VIRAL
David King, who founded the Seed Library of Los Angeles, asks the question in one recent Post, "Are Seed Libraries Illegal?" He is heavily quoted on other subjects in Naomi Cleason's August 5 story in the Carlisle Sentinel "Pa. department backs seed library protocol as reaction grows" . Others are exploring, "Setting the Record Straight on the Legality of Seed Libraries".
A comprehensive source for exploring the original documents and press is the Simpson Public Library site.
THESE ARE MY CONCLUSIONS: SEED LIBRARIES CAN LEGALLY WORK WITHIN THE EXISTING SEED LAWS AS WELL AS WORK AROUND THEM
These are my conclusions after writing extensive Plant Your Dream Blogs on this subject. it is clear to me that Seed Libraries can either work legally within the existing Seed Law regulations, or work outside them. Both ways can work. This is not so much ideas that originated with me, but originated through communications with Johnny Zook, the Pennsylvania Dept of Ag Seed Program Supervisor. It was Johnny Zook who initiated the original letter to the Simpson Seed Library and who also wrote up the accepted Protocols that came out of a group meeting July 8 between members of the Simpson Seed Library, Staff of the Department of Ag, and others.
Neil Gorenflo of Shareable, contributed to the story "Setting the Record Straight on the Legality of Seed Libraries" He says "Pennsylvania seed libraries can operate within the law as a peer to peer seed exchanges" on the seed library social network site.
This is basically the same information, that Johnny Zook told me in verbal phone conversations and email communications. In other words, the Seed Library members can organize themselves to receive the seeds and adapt the local varieties to their specific areas. They can also buy seed licenses if they wish and become official seed distributors. This requires testing seeds for truth in labeling requirements.
I have found an open channel of communication with Johnny Zook that has allowed my questions to be answered. His emails and phone communications have reassured me about my own concerns. The concerns and issues of National and local Seed Library Leaders can also be addressed to him.
I hope my blogs help set a tone for what can follow, a national Protocol that works for everyone and finds ways for Seed Libraries to function within existing Seed Laws without the laws having to be changed, or the Seed Libraries having to make too many radical adjustments. My sense is that events at the Simpson Seed Library are growing pains for the national Seed Library movement. Some of his emails are in these Plant Your Dream Blogs and below in this blog.
COMMUNICATIONS PENNSYLVANIA DEPT AG & SIMPSON SEED LIBRARY
Johnny Zook comments here on the July 8th meeting that was called by PA House of Representative Sheryl Delozier, as well as on the issue I raised about the "necessity" to develop local eco-type Adapted Seeds. I also asked his comment on the Press release Aug 1 from the Simpson Library where they said they would be continuing their Seed Library under the new accepted protocols. This press release came out a day following the Naomi Cleason story of July 31, department-of-agriculture-cracks-down-on-seed-libraries story that precipitated the viral firestorm.
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=2195490
A LOOK AT PENNSYLVANIA AG SEED SAVING LIBRARY PROTOCOLS
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2194704
SEED SAVING CLASSES AT THE SIMPSON PUBLIC LIBRARY CONTINUE. THE SIMPSON SEED LIBRARY CONTINUES TO SERVE. IT WAS NOT SHUT DOWN OR WAS IT THE INTENT OF THE PENN DEPARTMENT TO CRACK DOWN ON IT
Seed Saving classes at the Simpson Seed Library. continue
The Simpson Seed Library that began on Earth Day 2014 located in Mechanicsburg, PA, had a class with Marissa Paulding on August 13 on Seed Saving. She is associated with the Dickinson College Organic Farm that is located 9.9 miles from Mechanicsburg. The college is noted as one of the top Green schools in the nation and offers some of the finest healthy food served to its students.
The Simpson Seed Library is continuing to serve with care from an outstanding staff.
Johnny Zook initiated a letter to open communication to help bring the existence of Seed Laws to the awareness of the Simpson Seed Library on June 12, 2014. This letter makes it clear that Johnny Zook encourages "wholeheartedly" people to garden and have a "communal" experience. Note also that this letter was sent June 12. Johhny Zook placed no deadline on the Seed Library to respond. He patiently waited.
This letter, according to Johnny Zook, led to Rebecca Swanger of the Simpson Seed Library contacting her local House of Rep Sheryl Delozier. It was Rep Delozier who called the meeting where Department of Ag leaders and staff, library staff, and others attended. It was here where protocols were created with input from the group. The Simpson Library, he told me, accepted the protocols as is. There was an option to red ink some of them and make changes, he told me. His intent was to allow a back and forth conversation.
NATIONAL SEED LIBRARY LEADERS INVITED INTO THE CONVERSATION
I have a dream that National Seed Library Leaders will enter a conversation that can begin with Johnny Zook toward creating a National Protocol that works for everyone.
I asked Johnny if he would be willing to talk to a national Seed Library leader. He said in his email of August 13, "I don’t mind inputs/feedback from other people." He accepted that the letter to the Simpson Seed Library as initiating a communication.
Johnny Zook told me it would be a lot of work to change existing Seed Laws. He said it would be easier to work around them.
There are choices for Seed Libraries and Seed Libraries within the existing State and National Seed Laws as they now exist. Seed Libraries can either go through the process of getting licensed as distributors of seeds, requiring various testing of seeds, or circumvent the process by organizing themselves in conjunction with the Members of individual seed libraries to continue to develop local adapted seed stock.
See his emails and letters to the Simpson Library on their site.
( I am editing and refining this piece…stopped here Aug 16, 8:25 am )
The intention of the PA Department of Ag was that the Protocols they came up with would apply to all Seed Libraries in their state. If the Simpson Seed Library is indicative of a trend, then the conclusion I reach is that Seed Libraries in Public Libraries across the nation can continue to educate, host seed swaps, and give out free open pollinated seeds. A natural evolution will empower Seed Libraries toward taking more control of their Seed Sovereignty and finding ways to work with emerging Protocols that may very well arise. Better to be proactive in a positive way.
My take and seed dream is that Seed Library Leadership can influence national protocols.
SEED SOVEREIGNTY AND SEED FREEDOM REMAIN TO BE DEVELOPED IN THE HANDS OF INDIVIDUAL SEED LIBRARIES
The main point Johnny Zook made was that under the current Seed Laws, Seed Libraries in Penn cannot legally return seeds to the Simpson Seed Library without being designated as a Seed Distributor.
Seed Sovereignty is in the hands of Members of the individual Seed Libraries. Some Seed Libraries in Public Libraries will need to refine the way they receive seeds, if the Pennsylvania Protocols become a model for Protocols in other states. Some Seed Libraries manage their own seed stocks and locally adapted seed varieties already.
REFLECTIONS ON THE STORM OF INTERNET VIRAL ACTIVITY
A storm of internet viral activity came forth from these events. They raise the need for a continuing national conversation about support for Seed Libraries and GMO Education. I want to look deeper at the viral firestorm in this section on this Plant Your Dream Blog.
Many of us who wrote about this story, extrapolated details from what we read and wrote our own opinion pieces. Some of the stories that were written contained misinformation, or were evolving. Info said July 31 did not apply August 1. Many stories took off from the earlier published stories, making clarifications necessary.
The Department of Ag did not intend to crack down or shut down the Simpson Seed Library.
Many stories were based on the July 31 report in the Carlisle Sentinel by Naomi Cleason. Many researchers did not see her later stories that clarified that protocols had been worked out and the library continued to serve.
TO READ THE STORIES THAT BEGAN THE INTERNET STORM GO HERE
Joseph T Simpson Seed Library Info on their website
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2194525
THE MAIN STORY THAT BEGAN STIRRING EMOTIONS ON THE INTERNET WAS THIS ONE BY NAOMI CLEASON IN THE CARLISTE SENTINEL OF JULY 31
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CRACKS DOWN ON SEED LIBRARIES
JULY 31, 2014
This is the paragraph that indicated the Seed Library was closing:
Though the seed library is no longer an option, Darr said the department has left it open to the library to host “seed swap” days where private individuals can meet and exchange seeds. As long as the library system itself is not accepting seeds as donations, Darr said such an event would meet the requirements of the act.
This information was updated August 5, but fewer numbers of people saw it:
PA. DEPARTMENT BACKS SEED LIBRARY PROTOCOL AS REACTION GROWS
August 05, 2014 7:15 pm • By Naomi Creason, The Sentinel
Through discussion with the library system, the department’s Bureau of Plant Industry developed a protocol that seed libraries should follow. That protocol was then accepted during a meeting last week of the Association of American Feed Control Officials. The association, according to its website, is a voluntary membership association of local, state and federal agencies who are charged by law to regulate the sale and distribution of “animal feeds and animal drug remedies.”
For the library system, the protocol meant the library could still provide labeled packets of seed that are for the proper growing season, but it could not accept seeds that were unlabeled, seeds that were past the sell-by date and seeds that were not for the growing season.
Darr said it is the library system’s intention to continue the seed library under the new rules.
PA. DEPARTMENT BACKS SEED LIBRARY PROTOCOL AS REACTION GROWS
ARRIVING AT THE PROTOCOLS BEGAN JULY 8
According to Johnny Zook, Protocols that would allow the Simpson Seed Library to continue to operate in agreement with existing Seed Laws came out of a joint meeting July 8.
ON AUG 13, 2014, AT 5:41 AM, ZOOK, JOHNNY WROTE:
Hi Leslie,
The protocols were developed based on the information that the Simpson Library gave us. They told us their goals and intentions. They did not mention anything about developing local eco-type adapted seed/plants. But even so, I don’t see the protocol as written preventing that from happening.
The meeting with the library was on the 8th of July in Rep. Delozier’s office. The people in attendance were Beverly Kawaller - from Rep. Delozier’s office, Jay Howes - Deputy Secretary of Ag, Kerry Golden – Agricultural Liaison, Erin Bubb – Agronomic and Regional Services Division Chief, myself - Seed Program Supervisor and three reps from the Seed Library.
I don’t remember the term “patent infringement” coming up, but I think proprietary rights being considered, was talked about.
I don’t mind inputs/feedback from other people.
Regards
Johnny
This meeting July 8, came in response to the initial letter from Johnny Zook that is available on the Simpson Seed Library site.
I explored the Protocols in this Plant Your Dream Blog
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2194704
FROM THE AUGUST 5 NAOMI CLEASON STORY IN THE SENTINEL:
The approach, the department noted, is one at which it jointly arrived with the library.
“We are not (going) to go in there and shut it down,” said Samantha Krepps, press secretary for the state Department of Agriculture. “This was accepted as a realistic solution. As a regulatory agency, it is our charge to protect commerce, and also protect the library from any liabilities.”
Cumberland County Library System’s seed library was the first one in the state that the department approached about regulating how it works. Jay Howes, deputy secretary of the department, said this was a chance to develop something the department believed would appease both sides.
“We wanted to explore exactly what they wanted to do, and reconcile that,” he said. “It was a very cooperative effort.”
PA. DEPARTMENT BACKS SEED LIBRARY PROTOCOL AS REACTION GROWS
THE WORD "AGRI-TERRORISM" ALSO CAME INTO THE CONVERSATION THROUGH THIS STORY OF JULY 31 BY NAOMI CLEASON
Barbara Cross, a Cumberland County Commissioner, with a background that included global terrorism, was quoted as saying at their meeting July 30:
Cleason said:
Some of the commissioners questioned whether that was the best use of the department’s time and money, but commissioner Barbara Cross noted that such seed libraries on a large scale could very well pose a danger.
“Agri-terrorism is a very, very real scenario,” she said. “Protecting and maintaining the food sources of America is an overwhelming challenge ... so you’ve got agri-tourism on one side and agri-terrorism on the other.”
Cross said it made sense that the department would want to tackle the issue now while the efforts were small.
This association--Seed Libraries and Argi-Terrorism, set the internet aflame. Johnny Zook told me in our first phone conversation that he and members of his Department of Ag were equally flabbergasted by the comment. This association did not come from the Department of Ag.
Naomi Cleason July 31 Story on The Department of Ag and Simpson Seed Library
MY OWN TAKE ON AGRI-TERROISM
My own take on Agri-Terrorism, from a seeds point of view, are reflected in one of my first Plant Your Dream Blogs on the Simpson Seed Library issue written on August 5 before I contacted Johnny Zook.
REFLECTIONS ON AN ASSAULT ON SEED SAVING
Self-reliance in agriculture — whether in Nebraska or Nepal — isn’t possible if communities lose control over seeds that are adapted over centuries to their needs, cultural preferences, and environment. Farmers have been saving seeds from their harvest for 10,000 years. Today, an estimated 1.4 billion people, primarily in the developing world, depend on farmer-saved seed as their primary seed source.--Claire Hope Cummings, Grist Magazine
http://grist.org/article/jolly-gene-giant/
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2193791
A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF CORRESPONDENCE AND PRESS ON THE JOSEPH T. SIMPSON LIBRARY SITE REGARDING THEIR SEED LIBRARY
The Simpson Public Library has done a wonderful job of detailing the main communications about the unfoldment of these events.
http://www.cumberlandcountylibraries.org/?q=SIM_SeedLibrary
SOME OF THE MOST PERTINENT QUOTES INCLUDE THESE:
LIBRARY APOLOGIZES FOR TIMING THAT MAY HAVE BROUGHT BAD PRESS TO AP DEPARTMENT
Today, we prepared a news release (attached) about the changes to our program and sent it out to the news media.
Unfortunately though, news of the problems that the Seed Library had run into had already been made public at a Cumberland County Commissioner meeting yesterday. (In response to a question from the Commissioners, the general content of the Department’s letters to the Simpson Library was reported before library officials had an opportunity to discuss what our next steps were going to be regarding your recommendations.) I apologize if this caused problems for you or the department.
We do appreciate the time you’ve taken to make us aware of the Seed Act, and the steps you’ve taken to help us reach a good compromise.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Jonelle Prether Darr
Executive Director
Cumberland County Library System
aug 1, note
aug 1, noteL Jonelle Darr to Johny Zook
QUOTES FROM JOHNY ZOOK:
JOHNNY ZOOK'S INITIAL CONCERN
Johnny Zook said that he thought their could be a problem as the Seed Library movement grew if communication did not begin. He wanted to make sure that Seed Libraries in Pennsylvania knew about the existence of the Pennsylvania Seed Law of 2004. It is his job as Seed Program Supervisor to understand this seed law. The Seed Law applies to how seeds will be distributed in Pennsylvania. How seeds are distributed is regulated.
As he told me, he was not out to blame the library for not knowing about the existence of the Seed Law.
He mainly wanted to start communication.
He told me that if the Seed Law was different, he would be applying it as it was different. His job is mainly to apply the Seed Law as it stands to protect the consumer so that they get what the package says.
He explained that he sent the first letter, and then waited. There was no date mentioned in his first letter as to when the Seed Library needed to be in touch with him. As the last paragraph of his letter says,
"I'm sure a creative, innovate [innovative] way can be found to continue to promote healthy gardening while maintaining seed quality and meeting the requirements of the PA Seed Act."--Johnny Zook, Seed Program Supervisor, PA Department of Ag, in his first letter to the Simpson Public Library, 6-12-14.
JOHNNY ZOOK'S FIRST LETTER TO THE SIMPSON LIBRARY, JUNE 12, 2014
READ MORE IN THIS PLANT YOUR DREAM BLOG
COMMUNICATIONS PENNSYLVANIA DEPT AG & SIMPSON SEED LIBRARY
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2195490
JOHHNY ZOOKS ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESS RELEASE
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=2196622
MANY STORIES WERE BASED ON THE JULY 31 STORY BY NAOMI CLEASON IN THE SENTINEL. FEW MAKE REFERENCE TO THIS FOLLOWUP STORY GO AUG 5
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture emphasized that it is not starting a campaign against seed libraries, but has rather started a conversation about how to regulate them as the libraries begin to grow in number in the state.
Darr said the Cumberland County Library System is looking to add information to its website,
PA-DEPARTMENT-BACKS-SEED-LIBRARY-PROTOCOL-AS-REACTION-GROWS, AUGUST 5, THE SENTINEL
THE COURAGE TO GO BACK AND CORRECT STORIES WE HAVE WRITTEN
Many of the stories that set the internet ablaze, are based on collapsed conversations, and details that have been pieced together that deserve to be corrected.
I believe it is O.K. to say, "I'm sorry. I got it wrong." Good newspapers in the Good Olden Days, called this "Making a Correction." I suggest some corrections are in order.
Hopefully, over time, more accurate information will surface, and later stories will make clear the facts.
I hope some of the blogs I have written help promote a needed conversation in support of Seed Libraries and GMO Education.--Leslie Goldman, Your Enchanted Gardener
LINKS
GREAT SOURCE OF INFO
SEED LIBRARIES TWITTER
SEED LIBRARY DAILY
This is a great resource..
SEED LIBRARY DAILY
LIBRARIES IN THE NEWS
This is a resource for reading all the stories about the Library system of Cumberland County, home of the Simpson Seed Library. Some great finds!
http://www.cumberlandcountylibraries.org/?q=news-and-press
A TRUE AND FALSE QUIZ ABOUT THE SIMPSON SEED LIBRARY SND INTERACTIONS WITH THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AG
Here is a Little True and False Quiz about the recent interactions between staff of the Penn State Department of Ag and the Simpson Seed Library..
According to Johnny Zook, Seed Program Supervisor for the Penn State Department of Ag, it is possible for Seed Libraries to exist and function without having to get their Seeds Tested.
The key is organizing in a way that does not have them regulated by the Seed Act.
I learned this from directi communication with the him as reflected in our emails that are on this Plant Your Dream Blog.
COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF AG & SIMPSON PUBLIC LIBRARY
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2195490
TRUE OR FALSE?
Though the seed library is no longer an option, Darr said the department has left it open to the library to host “seed swap” days where private individuals can meet and exchange seeds. As long as the library system itself is not accepting seeds as donations, Darr said such an event would meet the requirements of the act.
Where reported: Naomi Cleason, July 31 story. Although this was reported by Naomi Cleason in her July 31 story and led to a firestorm of internet viral activity, On August 5, she reported:
LIBRARY APOLOGIZES FOR TIMING THAT MAY HAVE BROUGHT BAD PRESS TO AP DEPARTMENT
Today, we prepared a news release (attached) about the changes to our program and sent it out to the news media.
Unfortunately though, news of the problems that the Seed Library had run into had already been made public at a Cumberland County Commissioner meeting yesterday. (In response to a question from the Commissioners, the general content of the Department’s letters to the Simpson Library was reported before library officials had an opportunity to discuss what our next steps were going to be regarding your recommendations.) I apologize if this caused problems for you or the department.
We do appreciate the time you’ve taken to make us aware of the Seed Act, and the steps you’ve taken to help us reach a good compromise.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Jonelle Prether Darr
Executive Director
Cumberland County Library System
SOURCE:
Aug 1, note from Jonelle Prether Darr to Johnny Zook.
FROM THE AUGUST 5 NAOMI CLEASON STORY IN THE SENTINEL:
The approach, the department noted, is one at which it jointly arrived with the library.
“We are not (going) to go in there and shut it down,” said Samantha Krepps, press secretary for the state Department of Agriculture. “This was accepted as a realistic solution. As a regulatory agency, it is our charge to protect commerce, and also protect the library from any liabilities.”
Cumberland County Library System’s seed library was the first one in the state that the department approached about regulating how it works. Jay Howes, deputy secretary of the department, said this was a chance to develop something the department believed would appease both sides.
“We wanted to explore exactly what they wanted to do, and reconcile that,” he said. “It was a very cooperative effort.”
PA. DEPARTMENT BACKS SEED LIBRARY PROTOCOL AS REACTION GROWS
CORRECT ANSWER:: FALSE
Source:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CRACKS DOWN ON SEED LIBRARIES
TRUE OR FALSE?
The PA Department of Agriculture is so alarmed by this activity that it sent “a high-ranking official and lawyers to a meeting with the library.”
SEED-LENDING-LIBRARIES-IN-PENNSYLVANIA-FACING-CRACK-DOWN
FALSE
This is likely a reference to the July 8 meeting that came, as Johnny Zook told me, at the request of Mechanicsburgs, PA State House of Representative member Sheryl M. Ladozier, who was contacted by staff of the Simpson Library after receiving the first letter from Johnny Zook.
COMMENTS ABOUT THE SIMPSON SEED LIBRARY AS A TEST SITE FOR CREATING A NATIONAL CONVERSATION ABOUT SEED SAVING AND GMO EDUCATON
http://www.shareable.net/blog/pennsylvania-seed-library-investigated-by-department-of-agriculture
STORIES ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THESE EVENTS
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2193975
SOME GOOD COMMENTS
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-08-11/pennsylvania-seed-library-seen-as-encouraging-agriterrorism
looked at August 13; 1:24 am
http://www.newdream.org/blog/seed-libraries-take-on-the-law
Seed Libraries Take on the Law: Setting the record straight on the legality of seed libraries
by Sustainable Economies Law Center, August 11, 2014 at 2:25pm
TRUE OR FALSE? REGULATORS USED THE WORD "AGRI-TERRORISTS
REGULATORS cited, among other things, that “agri-terrorism is a very, very real scenario.” In reality, seed libraries have emerged in an effort to protect our food sources and to ensure access to locally adapted and heirloom varieties.
FALSE
this comment about Agri-Terroism did not come from the Department of Ag. Johnny Zook told me he and members of the department shook their heads and were equally flabbergasted by this association of Seed Libraries with this word.
It was reported by one Commissioner of Cumberland County, Barbara Cross at a meeting a day before the Naomi Cleason Story came out in The Sentinel, July 31. Barbara Cross is not one of the regulators.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE COMMENTS ON THE NAOMI CLEASON STORY:
voice of reason - August 01, 2014 10:51 am
It's completely inappropriate to be using terms like "agri-terrorism" when talking about seed libraries. Food security is a problem, yes, but that stems from companies like Monsanto that seek short-term profit and results rather than long-term food system wellness. Seed libraries, if anything, counter the threat of "agri-terrorists" by promoting the art of seed saving in the face of intellectual property/bio-patenting laws. Shame on Commissioner Cross for such fear mongering over seed saving.
TRUE OR FALSE?
THIS IS FROM
Seed Libraries Take on the Law: Setting the record straight on the legality of seed libraries
by Sustainable Economies Law Center, August 11, 2014 at 2:25pm
We suggest that all seed libraries review their documents and revise paperwork in order to simply collect information from members about what kind of seed they received, what they are donating, their experience with the plant, and so on.
GOOD IDEA! TRUE!
Good Idea!
This was one of the suggestions that the meeting of July 8 came up with in the original protocols that were accepted by the Simpson Seed Library!
http://www.newdream.org/blog/seed-libraries-take-on-the-law
This suggestion from the Sustainable Economies Law Center are not far off from the accepted Protocols created at a meeting July 8.
PLANT YOUR DREAM BLOG ON THE PROTOCOLS
AMONG THE PROTOCOLS I FOUND GOOD
IV. Library establishes mid-season and/or post-season seeds swap day(s)
Library acts as a meeting place for individuals to swap or trade harvested/saved seeds
with other members
The Library promotes that these seeds be planted the next season and any resultingharvested seeds be used in the next season’s seed swap(s)
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2194704
Neil Gorenflo of Shareable says "Pennsylvania seed libraries can operate within the law as a peer to peer seed exchanges" on the the seed library social network site, http://seedlibraries.org/forum/topics/setting-the-record-straight-on-the-legality-of-seed-libraries
In an Email to Johnny Zook, Seep Program Supervisor I addressed the "Necessity" on the part of local Seed Libraries to adapt local seeds.
He wrote:
On Aug 11, 2014, at 6:04 AM, "Zook, Johnny" wrote:
THE ISSUE OF THE LIBRARY RECEIVING SEEDS BACK INTO THE LIBRARY AND STORING THEM AS A "NECESSITY" TO DEVELOP LOCAL ECO-TYPE ADAPTED SEED IS INTERESTING.
Hi Leslie,
The issue of the Library receiving seeds back into the Library and storing them as a "necessity" to develop local eco-type adapted seed is interesting.
Couple issue:
-If the Library does this, accepting then distributing seed, they should be licensed and have the seed properly labeled, and they need testing to do this. I don't think a PA $25.00 seed license and a $7.00 germination test per variety will break the bank so to speak, but to have an official test we need 400 seeds and that may be hard to obtain for some kinds/varieties.
-The library instruct patrons who were not successful in harvest/saving seeds to buy heirlooms to have something to return/swap.
-But this is a sticking point, have people obtain their starter seed from a seed swap. This would answer this concern. The Library can still act has the focal point for the seed swaps, and the source of knowledge on seed saving and storage, and events to encourage seed saving and promoting community through gardening.
Why does the Library have to store the seed? Why can't the patrons store the seed? If the patron store the seed it will be spread out over many locations and far more robust to resisting "total loss".
If a Library burns down (God Forbid) then all those years of development could be lost in a single night - sorry to be so dramatic, but wouldn't multiple locations be "safer"?
Regards
Johnny
TRUE OR FALSE
SEED SHARING IS SPROUTING AT THE LIBRARY
POSTED ON AUGUST 13, 2014 BY JOSH O'CONNER
This is a good story, Josh, however, my research shows that the Simpson Seed Library was really not shut down, although the July 31 story by Naomi Cleason made it sound like this was going to happen. A later story of August 5 reported that Protocols had been offered and were accepted. The protocols offered were, according to Johnny Zook, Dept of Ag Seed Program Supervisor, intended to be a back and forth conversation with the opportunity to "Red Ink" Some of them. Perhaps other Seed Library national leaders with more expertise, may want to engage in refining national Protocols that make Seed Saving, Support of Seed Libraries, and GMO Education, good for all.--Leslie Goldman, Your Enchanted Gardener, Plant Your Dream Blog.
Amid growing concerns around the origins of seed stock and genetic modification, “seed libraries” are sprouting up all over the country — allowing neighbors to connect with one another and their local food systems by sharing the seeds from their own garden.
Though the WNC seed libraries are reporting success, nationally, supporters of seed libraries are expressing concerns about a recent event in Pennsylvania. In late July, the public library of Mechanicsburg saw its seed library shut down by the state’s Department of Agriculture, which cited a violation of the state’s 2004 Seed Act. Under the act, the seeds circulated by the library would not only have to be clearly labeled, but also tested for viability and germination rates. Cumberland County, Pa., Commissioner Barbara Cross has since been quoted for her support of the shutdown, when she compared the seed library to “agri-terrorism.”
http://mountainx.com/living/farm-garden/seed-libraries-bring/
SOME STORIES ARE STILL REPORTING A SHUTDOWN OF THE SIMPSON SEED LIBRARY AS LATE As AUGUST 13
This story, even written as late as August 13, is still reporting a shutdown.
It is based on the July 31 story without reference to he aug 5 story that says the library is open.
The Seed Library, and Seed Libraries across the nation, are thriving!
FEW MAKE REFERENCE TO THIS FOLLOWUP STORY GO AUG 5
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture emphasized that it is not starting a campaign against seed libraries, but has rather started a conversation about how to regulate them as the libraries begin to grow in number in the state.
Darr said the Cumberland County Library System is looking to add information to its website, http://www.cumberlandcountylibraries.org,
that detail the discussion and links to correspondence with the state department of agriculture.
http://cumberlink.com/news/agriculture/pa-department-backs-seed-library-protocol-as-reaction-grows/article_d3acf6fc-1cf2-11e4-adf9-0019bb2963f4.html
PRESS RELEASE OF AUG 1
SEED LIBRARY CHANGES PRESS RELEASE AUGUST 1
JOHHNY ZOOKS ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESS RELEASE
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=2196622
Who first associated the Simpson Seed Library, or Seed Libraries with the word "Argi-Terrorism?
Commissioner Barbara Cross was reported to have said in the Naomi Cleason piece of July 31:
County Commissioner Barbara Cross said about the potential risk, “Agri-terrorism is a very, very real scenario,” she said. “Protecting and maintaining the food sources of America is an overwhelming challenge...so you’ve got agri-tourism on one side and agri-terrorism on the other.”
PLACES I WANT TO POST
ALLEGHENY FRONT ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTER JULIE GRANT INTERVIEWS JAY HOWES, PENNSYLVANIA DEPUTY SEC OF AG
http://www.alleghenyfront.org/story/state-responds-seed-library-controversy
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW
http://media.alleghenyfront.org.s3.amazonaws.com/mp3/AF081514_Julie_SeedLibrary.mp3
This interview corroborates much of the information I included in my story here, Planting Clairity! Simpson Seed Library-Dept of Ag Wrap UP.
THEY ARE ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/thealleghenyfront
added aug 22, 2014; 7:40 am
KEN GREENE RESPONDS AND WANTS TO CLARIFY WHAT HE KNOWS
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED
http://awaytogarden.com/seed-libraries-headlines-perspective-ken-greene/
I saw this August 16, 2014
12:57 pm
The Carlisle Sentinel Posts The Protocols that were accepted by the Simpson Seed Library
Published August 5, 2014
http://cumberlink.com/proposed-seed-library-protocol/article_6f812cb0-1cf3-11e4-ac2d-0019bb2963f4.html
A GREAT VIDEO NEEDS A CORRECTED TITLE
http://www.abc27.com/clip/10441595/pa-stops-seed-swap-at-mechanicsburg-library
http://seedlibraries.org/forum/topics/setting-the-record-straight-on-the-legality-of-seed-libraries
FROM CIVIL EATS
choose your seed sources carefully. Start by planting open-pollinated varieties as opposed to hybrids or GMOs. You can’t save seeds from a hybrid, plant them, and expect to grow the same variety. This means that growers become entirely dependent on the company that created the hybrid and must purchase their seeds from this company every year. In terms of sustainability, hybrids create a dependence on financially and environmentally costly industrial agriculture systems—which are behind nearly all hybrid seeds. As for GMOs, which are the most hi-tech of all seeds, expensive technology and high chemical inputs are required for their creation and cultivation. It’s entirely illegal to save seeds from GMO plants and unlawful to attempt to reproduce hybrid varieties with proprietary licenses. Not all garden seed catalogs will say which of their varieties are hybrids (F1) or where and how they were grown. Make sure you are getting your original seeds from responsible sources by choosing seed companies that are upfront about offering open-pollinated or heirloom varieties. - See more at: http://civileats.com/2009/09/23/practicing-seedy-politics/#sthash.DMaBTY2d.dpuf
http://civileats.com/2009/09/23/practicing-seedy-politics/
Seed Freedom/Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/savetheseed?filter=3
Joseph T Simpson Seed Library Info on their website
http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2194525
BOSTON GLOBE STORY
I will comment here later...
“Agri-terrorism” at your local seed library?
On Friday, American warplanes began dropping bombs on areas controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Two months earlier, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture went after another potential terrorist threat: The Joseph T. Simpson Public Library in Mechanicsburg, a small town eight miles southwest of Harrisburg.
The library is not being considered a breeding ground for jihadists, but it has been implicated as a sleeper threat to our nation’s food supply.
By Kevin Hartnett | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT AUGUST 13, 2014
BOSTONGLOBE: PENNSYLVANIA-SEES-AGRO-TERRORIST-THREAT-PUBLIC-SEED-LIBRARY
pennsylvania-sees-agro-terrorist-threat-public-seed-library
LOVELY ARTICLES ON SEED LIBRARIES!!!!
13th aug
Chris Smith, community coordinator for Sow True Seed, says he is unaware of any legislation in North Carolina similar to Pennsylvania’s Seed Act. However, he notes, requirements for germination testing could impair seed donation programs, including those of Sow True Seed, which has aided seed library programs by providing donations of seeds to help jump-start the programs.
Smith says he supports seed libraries, as he feels “food security is meaningless without some type of seed security.” However, he cautions that maintaining genetic purity, which keeps seeds true to their variety, will be a challenge for seed libraries, which will also need to find a way to make sure the seeds being used are only sourced from open-pollinated plants.
http://mountainx.com/living/farm-garden/seed-libraries-bring/
GM agriculture is not the answer to seed diversity – it's part of the problem We need policies and practices that ensure farmers' seed-saving knowledge is passed down to future generations
is time for us to recognise that corporate and GM agriculture is part of the problem, and cannot be part of the solution. Instead, we need policies and practices that actively support the revival of seed diversity and seed-saving knowledge in farmers' hands, and that ensure this is passed on to the generations to come.
It should shock us all to think of the wealth of crop diversity our generation has inherited from our farming ancestors, and how we have carelessly squandered this incalculable gift. We know that climate change is only going to get worse. If we do not take action to revive seed diversity and seed-saving knowledge in farmers' hands, we will be leaving a disastrously narrow gene pool from which future generations will struggle to farm and eat.
• Teresa Anderson is the Gaia Foundation's international advocacy co-ordinator
the guardian.com:global-development/poverty-matters/2013/oct/17/gm-agriculture-not-answer-seed-diversity
http://www.gaiafoundation.org
Seeds for Life: Scaling up agrobiodiversity - New Report
gaiafoundation.org:seeds-for-life-scaling-up-agrobiodiversity-new-report
Reflreshing!!!!
The Hampshire College project is part of a small but growing group of “seed libraries” across the country, local centers that aim to promote heirloom gardening and revive a more grass-roots approach to seed breeding.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/03/09/seed-libraries-try-save-world-plants/XnM6HJ8GCfPoo6JWtU6DQL/story.html
FROM CIVIL EATS
http://civileats.com/2009/09/23/practicing-seedy-politics/
COMMENT Please
POPULAR RESISTANCE.ORG:SETTING-THE-RECORD-STRAIGHT-ON-THE-LEGALITY-OF-SEED-LIBRARIES
SOME ARTICLES THAT NEED SOME PRUNING
CONCLUSIONS
I WILL FACT CHECK THIS
NOTED AUG 12
Are Seed Libraries Illegal?
Recently a story came across our Facebook feed that told of an action taken by the Pennsylvania Dept of Agriculture that seemed foreboding. In brief, the PA Dept of Agriculture, went to an organizing meeting for a new seed library in the town's public library (a senior official and ag agents!) and claimed it posed a threat of "eco-terrorism" urging the community library to disband the project, which, of course, they did. After reading the story, a number of SLOLA members had a fast and furious correspondence on Facebook supplemented by text messages and phone calls; was this a concern we could be facing? The answer appears to be: Definitely a maybe.
Aug 4, 2014
The word eco-Terrorism was not part of the July 8 meeting that produced the protocols that were accepted by the Simpson Seed Library. Other communications between the depart of ag and national leaders will clarify and support the growth of the seed library movement.
Johhny zook welcomes these conversations.
The Department of Ag, according to Johnny Zook, sent some of its top officials to the July 8th meeting called by Penn House rep Sheryl M Delosier.
Are Seed Libraries Illegal?
They do not have to be. They can organize in cooperation with Public Libraries and existing Seed Laws. The Penn Department has something to say about how seeds are distributed. The Seed Libraries can provide a valuable service. The members of the seed library can continue to develop adapted seed libraries unique to their individual communities without being under the prevue of the seed laws. Because of the recent events, many more people are now aware of the existence of seed libraries, A national conversation has begun because of these events on the issues of seed saving and the need for gmo education.g
who was at the meeting?
was the words eco-terroeist in that meeting?
were concerns about patients in that meeting?
Protocols--are you willing to discuss them with other Seed Library Leaders?
pennsylvania-dept-agriculture-brings-agri-terrorists-outlaws-seed-libraries
pick up from this one:
http://www.theorganicprepper.ca/dept-of-agri-shuts-down-cell-of-potential-agri-terrorists-seed-libraries-outlawed-in-pennsylvania-08032014
WISH THEY WOULD CORRECT THIS
https://www.facebook.com/AlexanderEmerickJones
August 4, 2014
AGRI-TERRORISM? FEDS SHUT DOWN SEED LIBRARY IN PENNSYLVANIA
War on self-sufficiency intensifies
Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/paul.j.watson.71
FOLLOW Paul Joseph Watson @
*********************
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor at large of Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com.
http://www.infowars.com/agri-terrorism-feds-shut-down-seed-library-in-pennsylvania/
258 page views 111:11 am Aug 16, 2014
BUILDING A NEW COMMUNITY OF ALLIES
https://twitter.com/gorenflo
Neal put up my twitter I sent him.
Aug. 16.
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I did a new blog today,y an Undate on Seed Libraries.
I became aware this morning, November 22, of a progression of events, leading to a national petition. The petition and related links are on this Plant Your Dream Blog Link.
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=2220725
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