It has come to my realization today that Soy has been so heavily manipulated by the big companies that the species itself is now being rejected by some folks out of concerns about contamination by GMO, and the belief that all Soy has been patented by these companies.
Has anybody here been able to acquire non GMO varieties, and been able to landrace them? It is a species that has been cultivated by people longer than most.
Are there any reputable seed sources where we might be able to get them if we are interested in perpetuating non-GMO genetics?
Is the patent issue really a valid concern if we are growing non GMO varieties, and land-racing them?
To my research the notion that Monsanto has patented all soy is flat false, but sometimes people decide things and aren’t interested in being correct. There are many non-GMO soybeans available all over the place. I have collected a bunch of varieties but haven’t planted yet. Maybe I’ll do that this year and see what happens.
There are still many non-gmo soy beans out there. I think @Justin has a lot of experience trying to cross and landrace soy.
I have tried landracing soy by collecting a bunch of different cultivars and growing them together. This is my 3rd year doing it. They never do well for me and so each year I have added genetics. Unfortunately, their flowers are very tiny and require pin-point precision needles to emasculate and hand pollinate. It is tedious, delicate work, without much success for me.
Word of advice if you do plan on doing it: don’t plant all your seeds the first year unless you’re certain they’ll do well for you. Try to spread them out over 2-3 years. Since most soy collections are highly inbred, only a few seeds of each variety are necessary to test if it will do well for you or not.
Thank so much for offering Thomas! Soy wasn’t really on my radar until this recent revelation. Now Ive become much more interested in acquiring non GMO seeds and having a go at perpetuating them. So, yes, Id love to get some!