Farmers Taking On GMO Giant, Monsanto

Few areas interest me like that of GMO's (Genetically Modified Organism) and their infiltration into the american agriculture system.  Becoming a fast friend to mono-culture and the hidden bane of small farmers, GMO companies did a good job smoke screening themselves by capitalizing off of the tragic stories of foreign famine and providing a crop output that could not compare to conventional methods via space-age science methods applied to standard, staple crops.  But they were also pioneers on another front.  Companies like Monsanto have paved the way for a principle quite unique to become mainstream.  The patenting of seeds.  Big corporations could now be the proprietors of life forms.

Besides the potential biological environmental & health ramifications, GMO's have also put grave danger on the integrity of the american farmer.   The cost came in the form of loss of personal sustainability, crippling dependence on the companies, & the fear of the legal wrath of these giant corporations.  More shocking was that it was not just the planters of GMO's that suffered from the ill-tides of corporate back-lashings, but also those who were at risk of cross contamination of seed.  Plants would cross pollinate and put all farmers at risk of being sued for patent infringement.  Well since then, the GMO companies have been partaking in an all you can eat buffet of legal battles, slowly stringing up small farmers, one-by-one, for all they have.  It didn't take long for the landscapes of the Midwest to become comprised of large multi-corporation farms.

A resistance was found in the organic farming movement.  While, not immune to the proverbial gavel of businesses like Monsanto, they have strived to educate and encourage practices of seed saving.   But it still has not been enough just due to the sheer magnitude and scale of these big corporations.

So I wonder if the GMO giants saw this coming:
Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, et al. v. Monsanto.  That's right.  Tables turned as
Monsanto sits in the hot seat as 12 seed businesses, 26 farms and farmers, and 22 agricultural associations question what authority gives Monsanto the the right to sue for the compromising of their crops.

You know that saying "United we stand.  Divided we fall."?  It seems that the little farms and supporters are taking heed and striking back at Monsanto on their own battle field.

To learn more about the court case, please check out these links!
Grist - Reversing Roles: Organic Farmers Sue Monsanto
Mother Earth News - Farmers Sue Over Seed Contamination
GMO Showdown: Monsanto Sued By Organic Farmers 
RFC - Lawsuit Summery
PUBPAT - Monsanto Seed Patents

I have not yet heard a court date put out, but I intend to follow this closely.  I feel like this could be monumental in regards to restoring the agriculture system in America.  I pray for a day when farmers are not forced to do war with the land and serve as the ecological protectors and guardians, ensuring a viable livelihood for themselves and community as well as ensure a sustainable future for future generations.