RR1 soybeans for seed?

[boarderbloke]

Understand if you were growing them, you can keep seed and replant them.

If you weren't growing them and get seed from a neighbour, would that situation be any different than getting PBR wheat seed from a neighbour?

Would/could there be more scrutiny for soybean seed sharing? When I deliver canola to the graincos no one asks me now where I bought my certified seed! Never been asked to show receipts that I've purchased certified seed(painfully Yes, I've always bought all new seed each year).

Sure would like to reduce some input costs when trying a new crop, fewer dollars to risk just to give it a try, even though the RR1 technology might yield less.

Any ideas or advice welcome.

[farmaholic]

Devil's advocate....

boarder, do RR1 really yeild less or is it rhetoric to steer everyone to RR2. It would be interesting to hear what Manitoba growers, who've been growing them for a while, have to say.

[boarderbloke]

farma, I guess I just assumed so. Where do you ever get good yield comparison data now days. Trying to compare canola yields are a joke.

[dalek]

It isn't as simple as saying if you were growing them you can save them. The patent ended in the summer. If you planted them the previous spring, part of the purchase agreement was that you wouldn't save the seed from that crop. Nothing to do with patent, but a contract you assumed that also said any unplanted seed must be returned to the seller. If you saved seed from that crop, you're good to go as far as patent is concerned, but potentially guilty of breach of contract, although I haven't heard of much prosecution unless somebody is being very obvious about it.
All the returned seed that year was destroyed. To save RR1 seed legally, you had to have purchased it legally AFTER the crop year the patent ended, when only a very few companies were still selling it

[STR1]

Lots of guys around here grow R1 beans and save their own seed, some have had Monsanto audits and as long as tests come back that they are actually R1 beans all was good. From what I understand there is a lab in ND that tests seed to be sure it's R1 before planting. I'm in an area where we just can't reach the yields necessary to justify cost of R2 seed package.

[MBgrower]

Rr1 is off patent so u can grow your own seed. Problem is any company selling them (pioneer hybrid) does it under contract, so you cannt use for seed. I only grow rr2 beans, as the companies have less risk of bin run issues and they put their best genetics into the rr2s. If you bought your own rr1 variety, nothing stopping you from bin running and selling to others.

[jamesb]

yes guys are finding legal rr1 seed but in my opinion they paid a big yield penalty this year compared to the newer rr2 varieties. I think its great to have the choice but one must do the math.