As promised, here is the info about our upcoming webinar!
Learn How Early Sex Testing Helps Improve Cannabis Breeding Operations
May 9 | 2PM EST/11AM PST
Learn how Colorado Seed is using the youPCR Gender Detection assay to breed better plants, save resources, and improve efficiency. Don’t miss this chance to get insights into how one of the industry’s most innovative seed companies is using molecular tools to meet the high expectations and high volume requirements of the Colorado medical and recreational dispensary markets.
Wow, did he really say that’s how it works?
actually no, none of the companies he mentioned actually take customers data and use it for their own purposes. they internalize all the R&D and they pay for it off their own back, they don’t take payment to do the work, then use the data they were paid to develop for the client to then move their own research to the point where they will now patent cultivars that were developed with the information they got paid to develop.
So, no Kevin, commercial agriculture does NOT work the same way. They pay for it themselves.
@reggie you make a little cameo at the end of the KJ vid. It’s about you and Monsanto. This, in your own words, is made clear in the first KIS Organics podcast - mentioned above, for everyones information
Hi. I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet. As Reggie knows, my mom died recently, and I’ve not been in a state where I can engage publicly. Glad to be getting out of that, and folks’ patience is much appreciated.
In short, we made brought in about $44,000 in 2018 (incl. late 2018 donations, which are lumped into this sum). We’ve brought in about $6,000 this year, thanks to John Gilmore and Dale Hunt (both board members).
In 2018, the majority of the funds came from John Gilmore. Other substantial (over $250 donations) came from:
Dr. Bronner ($10,000)
Anonymous donors ($8000)
Rebecca Gasca (Board member) ($2500)
Jeremy Plumb (Board member and cofounder) ($1500)
Donors who I know who they are but I’m not going to drag them into this thread because they have literally nothing to do with any of this and are just nice people who like me ($6800)
I haven’t seen Kevin’s video but will watch shortly.
Also, @Strainly and others, if you have questions please send them my way. Happy to answer what I can.
I AM NOT AND NEVER HAVE BEEN A MONSANTO BREEDER OR EMPLOYEE. EVER!
I did my post doctoral research at Washington University in St. Louis, and there my postdoctoral research WAS done in conjunction with Monsanto. In fact, when i applied for a job at Monsanto, after finishing my post-doc, i was turned down, because “due to our collaboration, we already know what you know”. So, they didn’t need me anymore i guess. And… yes that may in fact play into why i am not very complimentary about Monsanto. But i DO understand them, and i have done research on their campus in Chesterfield Missouri, BUT it was my post-doctoral research at WashU and i only used their facilities because they had facilities that we didn’t have at Wash U. I know how operate because i then spent 4 years in a legal case against them, in support of a small start up biotech company called Mycogen
The skills that I know, and employ at Steep Hill, are STANDARD PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS tools. they aren’t tools that were invented by or developed by Monsanto. And Monsanto was given access to my research because they gave WashU a building and money and some of that money went into funding my research. So, Monsanto and other companies use the data THEY pay for, in part or in whole, to be able to do what they do.
@reggie Kev, Phylos and their affiliates might be distracting people from the real issue, associating you with Monsanto is one of the subtle tricks they use.
Anonymous donors are anonymous. there is a place in the donation where it asks you if you want to be anonymous or give your name. As for the other question, I don’t know. I have been on the board for less than a year, and since I’ve been on the board, there has been very little money to do anything. So, while I don’t know, I would guess there wasn’t a lot, if any carryover. But again, I don’t know for sure.
Trusting you about the nice generous anonymous donors.
Thank you, these include family members.
Could Phylos or one of their representatives be among the anonymous donors who gave $8k though?
Like Reggie says, anonymous is anonymous. I do not know who these donors are. There is a spot on our donation form that asks whether you want the donation to be anonymous. You can see it here:
Is it possible that you had cash left from prior years, which could have come from Phylos or their representatives?
No it is not. Our bank account was opened with a check from John Gilmore.
Payment to me from Phylos ended at the end of my 4.5-month contract in Dec. 2017. As of Jan. 2018, I was paid via OCP, which all came through donations. As Reggie mentioned, I have not been paid by OCP in months. I’ve picked up freelance work and relied on my partner to help me stay afloat.
Either Phylos or Mowgli personally did help me get a ticket to MJBizCon. Another board member bought my flight, and I stayed with another board member when I was in Las Vegas. Phylos/Mowgli also helped to get me on the guest list for a couple of conferences last year (though I can’t remember which ones). Mowgli and others from Phylos have also, very kindly, picked up the tab if we’ve had a meeting together, of if they’ve run into me and OCP volunteers at an event.
Purposefully, though - and in spite of moments where OCP and I really could have used financial support - we have steered clear of major or ongoing financial exchanges, specifically for these kinds of conflict-of-interest reasons. Again, that was part of the agreement with formal separation.
Dear Cannabis Community,
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Many of you have been waiting for a statement from us. You can find it on Medium, using the link in the profile and in the comment below. .
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Here’s what you need to know:
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For many reasons, including recent events, it is time to say goodbye to the Open Cannabis Project. We will sunset the organization by the end of May 2019. The open data set will remain in the public domain, hosted at an organization such as the Internet Archive and of course on NCBI. We will do our best to share what we’ve learned with anyone who’s interested in taking this kind of work further.
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Our final public offering will be a Legal and Advocacy Clinic for breeders and growers on licenses, patents, interstate commerce, and new FDA hemp regulations. The event is part of this year’s Cultivation Classic, with proceeds to benefit the Craft Cannabis Alliance and potentially another nonprofit.
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We are grateful for all the support that was given to us, particularly for the past year and a half. We are also grateful to our critics because they too care about protecting small breeders and growers and want to make sure it is done right. We hear you.
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There are still some pressing issues that need to be solved:
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The cannabis community still needs better documentation systems, as well as community-led frameworks to support it.
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Growers and breeders still need legal resources to help them protect their work - and, really, legal resources in general.
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There are still overbroad patents that could be countered, though they aren’t just on plants and likely require a new strategy.
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We look forward to using what we’ve learned to continue to solve these kinds problems, with new partners and new directions. If you have an idea or question, please get in touch or ask us a question on the @growersnetwork.
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Though the organization is ending on a sad note, we are proud of much of the work we’ve been able to do. We’re excited to see what grows from those seeds, and for all the rest of it to turn into compost.
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Sincerely,
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. @bethschechter @biovortex @angela_bacca @plant.and.planet @thehumboldtseedcompany
John Gilmore
Rebecca Gasca
Reggie Gaudino
