Usually I tend
to shun most hybrid seed for heirloom seed or my own home grown seed. Once in
awhile I will buy organic hybrid seed. I am curious about a hybrid corn seed
that is now available.
Blue River Hybrids is now
offering a hybrid corn that resists GMO contamination. The corn is called
PuraMaize®.
It was developed through
traditional selective breeding. The PuraMaize gene blocking system impedes GMO
fertilization by strongly favoring its own PuraMaize pollen. They say it
is highly effective in protecting corn from GMO field drift.
PuraMaize has been thoroughly
tested over multiple years. In side-by-side field tests with GMO corn,
PuraMaize either eliminates or virtually eliminates contamination. Blue River
Hybrids has conducted three years of replicated testing at 20 locations, with
consistently positive and reliable results.
If this interests you, you can find more data
at their website.
Things to mention:
1) I don't know much about Blue River Hybrids other than what little data they provide. If you dig up interesting information on them, please share it. Good, bad or indifferent.
2) We really want to be able to grow non-hybrid (open pollination) seed without worrying about GMO contamination. However, perhaps this fills a niche for certain farmers, while the rest of us continue with GMO labeling laws and ordinances to keep people from growing GM food in our community.
For those who feel in a free country we should be allowed to grow anything we want: I would say that is true until it hurts and causes damage to others around you. If folks want to grow GM food, they need to do it in a manner that does not cause genetic contamination of their neighbors.
