@wwww_horseprints: Why is native dogbane $8.99 for a single seed pod? Because the system that destroyed the ecosystems doesn’t want them restored. The absurd cost of native plants—especially wild ones like dogbane—isn’t about scarcity. It’s about control. If people could just plant dogbane and learn to use it, they’d start slipping outside the net of dependency. They’d remember that fiber doesn’t have to come from a factory, that medicine doesn’t have to come in plastic, and that value doesn’t have to be mined or patented. ⸻ Here’s the real reason native plant seeds are so expensive: 1. Deliberate Bottlenecking Native seeds are kept scarce on purpose. Not because they’re rare, but because there’s no industrial incentive to mass-produce something that thrives without inputs—no pesticides, no irrigation, no tillage. That doesn’t feed the machine. 2. No Subsidies = No Support Corn and soy get federal subsidies. Dogbane doesn’t. Why? Because dogbane doesn’t fatten livestock or fuel cars. It only nourishes sovereignty. 3. Restoration as a Gatekept Industry Native restoration is framed as a science project, requiring credentials, lab coats, and consultants. Instead of putting seeds in the hands of people who can work with the land, they create a bureaucracy around it. 4. Market Disincentive for Self-Reliance Dogbane fiber is superior to cotton in many ways: it’s local, weatherproof, renewable, and requires no infrastructure to process. So why isn’t it sold in every store? Because if it were, you wouldn’t need them. ⸻ So what’s the $8.99 seed pod really paying for? • A narrative that says you can’t harvest your own. • A deterrent to keep land-based skills out of reach. • The illusion of rarity to inflate value while erasing the people who still practice.

Michael Ridge

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Region: US

Wednesday 09 July 2025 01:50:35 GMT