Kansas, USA
July 20, 2009
Steve and Randy Riffel of
Stockton, Kansas, discovered that seed companies will protect
the value of their wheat varieties. These brothers recently
settled a suit brought by the
Kansas Wheat Alliance,
Inc. (KWA) and WestBred,
LLC for the illegal sale of Jagger and Santa Fe wheat as
seed. The total amount of the settlement was $150,000.
Wheat seed companies are being encouraged by farmers to pursue
those that ignore the laws and offer seed for sale illegally.
These illegal sales rob seed companies of revenues that are
necessary for maintaining breeding programs, which develop new
varieties to keep wheat farmers competitive with other producers
around the world.
“We don’t enjoy going after farmers who sale seed illegally,”
says Daryl Strouts, KWA executive director. “We would much
prefer that all farmers respect our property rights and use
legal seed. When farmers use certified seed, the seed companies
are encouraged to develop new varieties, which is a win-win
situation.”
Part of the problem are farmers who purchase illegal seed, says
Strouts. “If no one would buy non-certified seed, then there
wouldn’t be anyone selling it.” He also noted that often,
farmers end up paying more for non-certified seed than they
could have paid for certified seed.
“I think some farmers just get caught up in the notion that if
they are buying something illegally, then it must be a good
deal. Smart farmers know that ‘cost’ and ‘value’ are not the
same thing,” offered Strouts.
Under the settlement agreement, KWA and WestBred have the right
to inspect all of the Riffel’s business and farming records and
premises for the next 3 years and if the Riffel’s are caught
selling KWA or WestBred seed illegally again they will pay
$35.50 for every 50-pound unit of seed they sell.
The Kansas Wheat Alliance is a non-profit organization
working to advance wheat through plant breeding and genetic
improvement. For more information visit
www.kswheatalliance.org.
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