It was brought to our attention that Baker Creek invited Cliven Bundy as a speaker to their spring planting festival in 2019 by The Redneck Hippie. Read her blog post. He has made racist comments. Not cool.
My bigger issue with Cliven Bundy is his involvement in the Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge that was lead by his son. A dozen armed militants occupied the wildlife refuge for over a month. The Bundys are both far-right anti-government extremists.
Bundy has also made some impressive comments on the January 6ths U.S. Capitol riot.
We do not support anyone that thinks it is ok to make racist comments or try and overthrow the government.
If that's not enough of a reason, we also struggled with germination last year.
I just posted this on my FB page.
OMG!! The reigning Kings of Pettiness, Baker Creek Seeds, have removed me from their group. I credit myself with discovering this upstart company years ago, and certainly sang their praises to anyone who would listen. I ignored the naggy little voice for a long time that told me they were no doubt raging " christians," because I was so in love with the idea of them. They were anti-GMO, after all!!
Then they invited Clive Bundy to their festival. I wrote questIoning them. No response, which I didn't expect. THEN I wrote objecting when they set aside a week of profits for the homophobic Salvation Army. No response, of course.
Then an order got lost, and amid all the endlessly glowing reports of perfect customer servIce and immediate replacement of lost orders, even during the height
of covid, they told me, in essence, "take it up with the PO." My creeping paranoia was born. Do they keep a data base?
Today on their " fan facebook site" people were complaining loudly about bad germination and the " fans" attacked, calling them bad gardeners and blaming the good guys. I chimed in saying people had a right to air their truth and the "moderators" shut the whole thread down. I went to another post, admittedly unrelated, to point out their refusal to hear criticism, ( Saying I found their germination rates to be normal; neither great nor dismal) and I was ex-communicated .
I'm just doing my part here to take back the accolades to them I've extended over the years to a lot of my FB friends. I researched them and apparently, amid their zealous fanbase, exists many former zealots, now disgruntled, disenchanted people who've come to see them the way I do. Sad. Shattered illusions are sad.ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜†ðŸ˜†
Thanks for posting!! I remember a few of companies coming out in support of Black rights Heirloom Mountain Seedswoman and High Mowing I believe. and both have good germination.
Thanks for this! I am just learning of the Cliven Bundy thing from 2019 from a review posted on Dave's Garden, and your post says most if not all of it. Thanks Susan too, shunning is certainly a common tactic to expect from the zealots!
Me and Jere are the same age and the Gettles continue to pretend they can play both sides without taking a position. You know, neutral, like Denmark was in WWII before the Nazis invaded.
I grow in Oklahoma City, which as a city tries to remember the 1995 terrorist attack on the Murrah federal building without addressing, at all, the ongoing anti-government sentiment which the attack was based on. Cliven Bundy is part of that conversation and no, Baker Creek, I know you knew who he was when you invited him. He IS a draw to some non-GMO folks, and his name is famous, we don't believe you.
I was planning to go to a planting festival before COVID and I respect them for continuing to stay closed. Their kids are beautiful and naming their older daughters Sasha and Malia was anti-racist "enough" for me 5 years ago when I found their catalog. It's not enough anymore, Baker Creek, step up, we are growing the future.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Fedco Seeds
This is from a very trusted source in my life. It may be info from a person who experienced it. The woman who shared has no proof outside of that and is dealing directly with the Ukrainian issue herself. "Beware of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and their capitalist ruse. The money they are "donating" to Ukrainian "relief" is to an organization who forces Christian conversion before getting relief and hands out Bibles instead of actually helping people."
We were excited to discover their lovely and extensive catalogue this past year and intended to purchase seeds from them. My kid turned up a worrying comment about their invitation of Cliven Bundy somewhere, so I looked further into it. The " but they adopted Asian children and employ Black folk" is not the ringing endorsement and social justice pass some people think it is and is worth a whole other essay on the benign patriarch model of colonialism.
Anyhow, turns out you can get most of what they list in their catalogue from other small seed companies, just takes a bit more effort. I am happy to do my part and make sure my money goes to small farmers who are not connected to white supremacists and who are actively committed to anti-racist endeavors. Baker Creek wasn't even able to bring themselves to publicly state white supremacy is wrong when people questioned their sus invite to C Bundy.