The High Mowing Organic Seed Company in Wolcott has been a loud voice against genetically modified crops and, specifically, their potential to cross-pollinate with and contaminate organic seed crops. This week the company announced it will be the first seed company to offer a full line of verified non-GMO vegetable seeds.
In recent years High Mowing has partnered with the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit based in the state of Washington and committed to "preserving and building the non-GMO food supply, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices," according to the organization's website. The Non-GMO Project is the entity that is verifying the High Mowing line of seeds.
In its announcement, High Mowing states that over 90 percent of its 650 varieties are verified to date. The company says its entire line will be verified by late this summer. All of High Mowing's seeds are certified organic.
The announcement explains the difference between genetically modified crops and cross-breading hybrid crops.
The term GMO, or genetically modified organism, refers to any organism which has had the genes of a different species spliced into its DNA. This differs from traditional methods of plant breeding, where the breeder pollinates the plants by hand, moving pollen from one plant to another, and only members of the same species can be crossed to create a new variety. Genetic modification results in varieties that contain genes from two different species.
High Mowing Seeds founder Tom Stearns commented,“We have the remarkable opportunity to shape and steward the future of our seeds and help protect their purity for generations to come. Non-GMO Project Verification enables us to take a detailed and systematic approach to preventing GMO contamination in all our seed production and handling. HMOS will continue to invest in collaborations like the Non-GMO Project, because organic, non-GMO seeds have to be the foundation of the healthy food system of the future.”
Earlier this month, Vermont became the first state in the country to pass a law requiring GMO labeling of food products. Vegetable seeds are not addressed under that law.
