Johnny's Seeds

 I have recently contacted Johnny's Seeds. I asked them if they sold Seminis seeds, and they replied that, yes, they sell Seminis and DeRuiter seed brands, but they are not genetically modified. They provided me with a list of the seed varieties that they buy from Seminis and DeRuiter, out of 600+ varieties only 25 are from those two companies. Here is a copy of the list:

The Seminis and De-Ruiter sourced seed varieties we offer below are either open-pollinated selections or traditionally bred hybrids, there are no GMO’s. These products meet the requirements for disease resistance, yield, and other desirable characteristics that were our motivation for choosing these varieties. While many of our customers have come to rely on these varieties, we provide this list so you will be informed to make an independent decision that is correct for you.

Seminis and DeRuiter Varieties

Part #	Variety	Crop	Comments	Variety Option
2954	SC* CHEDDAR F1	Cauliflower
224	SC* FREMONT F1	Cauliflower	Dropped, selling inventory	3832 Bishop
3885	SC* SV4719CS F1	Cucumber
240	SC* HANSEL F1	Eggplant
2260	SC* FAIRY TALE F1	Eggplant
241	SC* GRETEL F1	Eggplant
103/103BJP	SC* SIERRA BLANCA F1 Raw & Pelleted	Onions
2991	SC* CANDY F1	Onions
2038	SC* KING ARTHUR F1	Peppers
2309	SC* X3R® RED KNIGHT F1	Peppers
2894	SC* SERRANO DEL SOL F1	Peppers	Dropped, selling inventory	3086 Hot Rod
568	SC* BISCAYNE F1	Peppers
2365	SC* ORANGE SMOOTHIE F1	Pumpkins
2854	SC* FAVORITA F1	Tomatoes
733	SC* CELEBRITY F1	Tomatoes
2373	SC* TRUST F1	Tomatoes
2794	SC* GERONIMO F1	Tomatoes
3017	SC* REBELSKI AKA DRW 7749 F1	Tomatoes
3090	SC* BEORANGE F1	Tomatoes
2063	SC* BIG BEEF F1	Tomatoes
3918	SC* TOMIMARU MUCHOO F1	Tomatoes
3979	SC* SANTORANGE F1	Tomatoes
2700	SC* MAXIFORT F1	Tomatoes, Rootstock		3840 Colosus
3091/3091P	SC* DRO138TX F1 Raw & Pelleted	Tomatoes, Rootstock		3088G Estamino

 I have a few things to say about this though. First off Seminis and DeRuiter are both owned by Monsanto, so even if the seeds aren't genetically modified these companies can't be trusted. The issue of cross pollination is a huge concern for many. The pollen of GM crops can travel great distances and contaminate non GM crops. Second, Johnny's seeds have a huge selection of seed varieties, so why do they need seeds from Seminis and DeRuiter when they have hundreds of other seed varieties? I'm not trying to say anything bad about Johnny's, as my family and many other people we know buy from them, however selling seeds from companies associated with Monsanto is unacceptable knowing what a bad reputation Monsanto has.
 If you are an organic or biodynamic farmer and don't save or sell your seeds already, this year would be a good time to start doing just that.