Over fifty Plaintiffs will be present in Federal District Court in Manhatten next Tuesday January 31, to hear our legal team, led by Daniel Ravicher of the Public Patent Foundation, present Oral Argument in the landmark organic community lawsuit, Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association et al v. Monsanto. The topic to be argued will be Monsanto’s motion to dismiss which Monsanto filed back in July in their attempt to deny family farmers access to the court system.  The Plaintiffs filed a strong written rebuttal in August asserting Monsanto’s motion lacked merit and was little more than a corporate delaying tactic. In late December Federal Judge Naomi Buchwald granted our request for Oral Argument on the motion to dismiss.

     OSGATA v. Monsanto is a historic pre-emptive lawsuit filed last winter under the Declaratory Judgment Act.  The lawsuit seeks to gain court protection for family farmers who through no fault of their own and because of Monsanto trespass, become contaminated by Monsanto’s transgenic/GMO seed.    In cases of GMO contamination, not only is the value of the farmer’s organic crop extinguished, but in a perverse legal injustice, the farmer would then be subject to a patent infringement lawsuit by Monsanto for ‘possessing’ Monsanto’s transgenic technology without having paid royalty on that ‘possession.’

     With this lawsuit, family farmers are fighting on the front lines trying to defend ourselves from an aggressor that seeks to control the seed system and at the same time we are trying to preserve your family’s right of access to good clean food and seed.

     Our plaintiffs are not seeking one penny from Monsanto.  Early on, our lawyers asked Monsanto for a binding legal covenant not-to-sue and Monsanto refused. This refusal made clear to all that Monsanto was unwilling to give up its option to threaten and pursue innocent family farmers for patent infringement in the case of their contamination of our organic crops.  Monsanto has left us no choice but to petition the court for legal protection.  We will argue for this court protection through the assertion of four separate self-standing legal arguments.  We have a strong case and we are prepared to prove that the patents given to Monsanto by the US Patent Office were improperly granted and that Monsanto’s transgenic patents are invalid.

 
     Jim is President of lead Plaintiff Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association.  He will be in the courtroom along with plaintiff farmers from twenty other states and provinces including Oregon, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Saskatchewan, Wisconsin and Iowa.

     Further information on OSGATA v. Monsanto may be found on woodprairiefarm.com, osgata.org and pubpat.org. Thanks!

Jim & Megan Gerritsen

Wood Prairie Farm

Bridgewater, Maine

     Despite the frozen ground and snowy weather here in Maine it’s time to think about organic fertilizer for this year. Healthy plants, good yields and happy farmers grow from sufficient organic fertility and Wood Prairie is here to help.

Offer #1. FREE Potting Soil.  Earn a FREE 6 Quart sack of Vermont Compost Soil Mix – Your choice of Fort Vee Potting Soil, Fort Light or Compost Plus ($12.95 value) when your next purchase includes a bag of Wood Prairie Organic Fertilizer – Your choice of Organic Potato, Organic Fish Meal, Organic All-Purpose or Organic Pelletized Poultry Compost and totals $50 or more. Please use Promo code WPF 1111.

    
Offer #2. FREE Long Handle Tool.  Earn a FREE Long Handle Tool – Your choice of Garden Gopher Hoe, Three Point Scuffle Hoe or Cobrahead Long Handle Hoe ($39.95-$59.95 value) when you buy a 1000 pound sling bag of Organic Fish Meal Fertilizer. Please use Promo code WPF 1112.

Offer #3. FREE Long Handle Tool Collection. Earn a FREE Long Handle Tool Collection (One each of Garden Gopher Hoe, Three Point Scuffle Hoe and
Cobrahead Long Handle Hoe ($139.85 value) when you buy two (2) 1000 pound sling bags of Organic Fish Meal Fertilizer. Please use Promo code WPF 1113.

FREE Offer items above must ship with order and entire order must ship by May 8, 2012. Offer may not be combined with other Specials. These offers end Friday 2/3/12 so hurry!  Please call or click today!