[Community_garden] The real story about Burpee

[Mike McGrath]

Just got off the phone with Peggy DeLaurentis; she's George Ball's personal 
secretary at Burpee. I have known both George and Peggy for close to 20 
years now. George is eccentric and a lot of fun; Peggy is sharp and 
dependable. I trust them both--at least not to lie to me.
    NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
    Burpee has not been sold to anyone nor have they acquired anything major 
since Heronswood several years ago.
    Peggy said that these rumors came out of nowhere, are completely untrue 
and have made the Burpee workers very upset.
    OK? That's the official response direct from the head office.

    Now, here's MY personal take:
    FACT: For many years now, Burpee has been moving in the opposite 
direction of what these posts have been implying, including the launch of a 
Burpee branded organically grown seed line several years now that continues 
to this day. Certified by Oregon Tilth; see page 127 in 2007 catalog.
    FACT: I just waded through that same 2007 catalog, and as far as I can 
see, all of the pest control products offered re organic; the fertilizers 
too.
    FACT: George Ball personally called me several years ago (while I was 
railing publicly about treated seed) to explain that Burpee did not carry 
ANY treated seed. He didn't think it was safe for people to be handling 
Captan and Thiram. Johnny's Selected Seeds--who I otherwise admire 
greatly--has always sold seed treated with these extremely nasty chemicals.

    I know and like many of the people who work there, and, as an 'organic 
authority', I like Burpee as a company. Yes, they're big, but to my eye, 
they're about as clean and progressive as a company that size can be.
    (As my un-Sainted Grandmom Elsie would say, "What do you people want? 
Eggs in your beer?!")

So unless you know otherwise, please pour water on this fire instead of more 
gasoline.
                                        ---Mike McG
                                        www.youbetyourgarden.org


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <adam36055 at aol.com>
To: <libby at igc.org>
Cc: <community_garden at list.communitygarden.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 10:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Community_garden] Not sure that Burpee has sold out


> Then we should ask.
>
> Adam
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: libby at igc.org
> To: adam36055 at aol.com
> Cc: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
> Sent: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 9:50 PM
> Subject: Re: Not sure that Burpee has sold out
>
>
> Interesting analysis, but are Burpee selling Seminis' gene-altered seeds? 
> I think that's the question al lot of gardeners would like to have 
> answered.
>
> Libby
>
> On Jan 10, 2007, at 9:41 PM, adam36055 at aol.com wrote:
>
>> I'm not sure, because the issue is corporate branding.
>>
>> In other words, Brooks Brothers has been owned by all kinds companies > 
>> in the last few years, as has Land's End, and both companies have been > 
>> maintained as separate and distinctive brands - there is no value in > 
>> them being Marks & Spencer, or Sears, because Brooks and Marks & > Land's 
>> End clients don't want what the corporate owner sell under > their own 
>> names.
>>
>> The value of Burpee to Seminis and Monsanto would be the cash flow > that 
>> it brings in from folks like us for Burpee branded items.  I'm > not 
>> planning to stop buying Burpee branded items as they're the same > as 
>> they have traditionally been.
>>
>> And it's always possible that Seminis might want to spin off Burpee at > 
>> some later date - any of us have the dough to buy it? ( I don't, > 
>> certainly, but you never know who will walk into your community > 
>> garden.)
>>
>> Best wishes,
>> Adam Honigman
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message----- 
>> From: libby at igc.org
>> To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
>> Sent: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 9:17 PM
>> Subject: [Community_garden] I guess Burpee has sold out
>>
>> http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/ball_geo_jr.html
>>
>>
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