‘Laying claim to nature’s work’: plant patents sow fear among small growers

Large companies are claiming intellectual property over new seed varieties, inhibiting small-scale breeders and diversity

For nearly 40 years, Frank Morton has been breeding plants. Particularly drawn to lettuce, he began breeding specialty salad greens, once a rarity in the produce market. Using an organic farm system, 68-year-old Morton developed entirely novel lettuce varieties and eventually started the Philomath, Oregon-based Wild Garden Seed company with his wife, Karen.

Though he loves the work, being a small-scale plant breeder doesn't come without challenges. Over the years, Morton has watched large corporations take over the seed industry, using utility patents to claim seeds as an invention.