In the early years, the St. Louis biotech giant helped pioneer such leading chemicals as DDT, PCBs and Agent Orange. Unfortunately, these breakthroughs had a tendency to kill stuff. And the torrent of lawsuits that comes from random killing put a crimp on long-term profitability.
It began in the mid-'90s, when Monsanto developed genetically modified (GM) crops such as soybeans, alfalfa, sugar beets and wheat. These Franken-crops were immune to its leading weed killer, Roundup. That meant that farmers no longer had to till the land to kill weeds, as they'd done for hundreds of years. They could simply blast their entire fields with chemicals, leaving GM crops the only thing standing. Problem solved.
The so-called no-till revolution promised greater yields, better profits for the family farm and a heightened ability to feed a growing world. But there was one small problem: Agriculture had placed a belligerent strongman in charge of the buffet line.Monsanto knew that it needed more than genetically modified crops to squeeze out competitors, so it also began buying the biggest seed businesses, spending $12 billion by the time its splurge concluded. The company was cornering agriculture by buying up the best shelf space and indoor Tracking. All its boasting about global benevolence began to look much more like a naked power grab.
Seed prices soared. Between 1995 and 2011, the cost of soybeans increased 325 percent. The price of corn rose 259 percent. And the cost of genetically modified cotton jumped a stunning 516 percent.Instead of feeding the world, Monsanto simply drove prices through the roof, taking the biggest share for itself. A study by Dr. Charles Benbrook, a research professor at Washington State University, found that rapidly increasing seed and pesticide costs were lowering farmers' incomes.
To further corner the field, Monsanto offered steep discounts to independent dealers willing to restrict themselves to mostly selling Monsanto products. And the arrangements brought severe punishment if independents ever sold out to a rival.Intel had run a similar campaign within the tech industry, only to be drilled by the European Union with a record $1.45 billion fine for anti-competitive practices. Yet U.S. regulators showed little concern for Monsanto's expanding power.
"It was done in a completely open-sourced way," says Benbrook. "Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture exchanged all sorts of seeds with other scientists and researchers all over the world. This free trade and exchange of plant genetic resources was the foundation of progress in plant breeding. And in less than a decade, it was over."The first crack appeared in 1970, when Congress empowered the USDA to grant exclusive marketing rights to novel strains, with two exceptions: Farmers could replant the seeds if they chose, and patented varieties had to be provided to researchers.
But that wasn't enough. Corporations wanted more control, and they got it with a dramatic, landmark Supreme Court decision in 1980, which allowed the patenting of living organisms. The decision was intended to increase research and innovation. But it had the opposite effect, encouraging market concentration.Monsanto would soon go on its buying spree, gobbling up every rival seed company in sight. It patented the best seeds for genetic engineering, leaving only the inferior for sale as conventional, non-GM brands. (Monsanto declined an interview request for this story.)Biotech giants Syngenta and DuPont both sued, accusing Monsanto of monopolistic practices and a "scorched-earth campaign" in its seed-company contracts. But instead of bringing reform, the companies reached settlements that granted them licenses to use, sell and cross-develop Monsanto products. (Some DuPont suits drag on.)
"They're a pesticide company that's bought up seed firms," says Bill Freese, a scientist at the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit public-interest and environmental-advocacy group. "Business-wise, it's a beautiful, really smart strategy. It's just awful for agriculture and the environment."Lineups were a big complaint last year, and while they exist at this year’s fest, wait times aren’t unreasonable. Hands down, the longest queue on the day we visited was for Tacofino, the bright orange taco truck that got its start in Tofino and now has a brick-and-mortar location on East Hastings Street. People waited a good 15 minutes to get their hands on one of its lingcod, yam tempura, black bean, or other tacos.
Feastro the Rolling Bistro features tacos too, with this day’s varieties being smoked salmon, jerk chicken, pulled pork, and red snapper. The last three are topped with a lively and lovely tomato-and-star-anise chutney. The big seller here, though, seemed to be Feastro’s sweet-potato frites, served with a side of smokin’ hot, smoked-chipotle aioli.Perhaps not surprisingly given the heat, the Chili Tank (which serves chilies and soups) wasn’t seeing a lot of action, but then inexplicably neither was E.L.I.’s Serious Sausage, which offers premium, all-natural bratwurst on Schrippen buns and currywurst in a dish with house-made, lip-smacking curry ketchup.
Hormone- and nitrate-free ingredients also make up the wieners at DougieDog Diner Truck, but these are not your typical ballpark franks. From his red-and-white-checkered truck, the owner, who goes by the name Dougie Luv, dishes up monsters like the Charlie Mac Dog, which is topped with bacon and macaroni and cheese, and the DougieDog, which comes with a crazy heap of pastrami, horseradish, melted Cheddar, and Grey Poupon mustard. Dougie makes his own butterscotch root beer, too.A favourite find was Johnny’s Pops, exotic popsicles in funky flavour combinations like raspberry-basil and avocado-lime. (There was also strawberry rhubarb, blueberry mojito, and creamy strawberry lemonade.)
Other things to know about the fest: this year, there’s a new admission fee of $2 for adults and a maximum of $5 for families (kids 13 and under get in free). The money goes toward renting the site, plus partial proceeds support A Loving Spoonful, which provides nourishing meals to people living with HIV/AIDS.Vancity members get in free, so remember to have that bank card handy. (There are ATMs onsite if you forget to bring cash.) There’s a market featuring vendors such as Zulu Records, as well as a rotating lineup of DJs, including Flipout and Cherchez La Femme. Kids have access to a bouncy castle and face-painting. Food prices vary, with most items costing between $5 and $9. Lunch for four of us came to $46.
Parking can be somewhat challenging, but there’s a pay lot across the road and some free street parking. Of course, you should be taking transit, walking, or cycling anyway; there’s even a bicycle valet. With so many fabulous trucks serving up generous portions made with passion, it helps if you’ve worked up an appetite.
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