[Community_garden] The real story about Burpee - Why We KeepMike McGrath Around

Thu Jan 11 13:33:34 EST 2007

I am especially proud of the "shameless" part!
                                                ---McG

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <adam36055 at aol.com>
To: <MikeMcG at PTD.net>; <libby at igc.org>
Cc: <community_garden at list.communitygarden.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 1:17 PM
Subject: Re: [Community_garden] The real story about Burpee - Why We 
KeepMike McGrath Around


> You can say alot of things about Mike McGrath, like he's annoying, tends 
> to suck all the air out of the room and is a shameless know it all...
>
> But he does "know something," and will take the extra step to learn 
> something and share it, ad infinitum, with the rest of us.
>
> Bless him.
>
> Thank you Mike, for this.
>
> Adam Honigman
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: MikeMcG at PTD.net
> To: libby at igc.org; adam36055 at aol.com
> Cc: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
> Sent: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:57 AM
> Subject: The real story about Burpee
>
>
> 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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>
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