The terminator nickname is a reference to the on-screen robotic killer played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. If Monsanto refuses to use the technology, the department would have the right to find another company that would. Officials will not say what they will do. First we have to see if Monsanto's purchase goes through. The department has no plans to relinquish the patent, he said.
Seed is the first link in the food chain.
Whoever controls the seed has a stranglehold on the food supply. In developing countries, it is common for farmers to save seed from year to year. Christison, who is president of the National Family Farm Coalition, estimates that 25 percent of U.S. producers do it. Genetically engineered crops, which are making up an increasing share of U.S. production, cannot be reproduced legally. Farmers also buy new seeds each year for corn and hybrid versions of other crops because they lose their special characteristics after the first generation.