>Sender: >To: >X-Original-Message-ID: <09dd01bf314e$8ab94130$9acf69cf@pacbell.net> >From: "Peter McWilliams" >Subject: Birds can't do it after all! >Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 14:53:19 -0800 >X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 >X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 > > >To the editors of Audubon Magazine: > >Hi. Please read this, and pass this along to Ted Williams, author of the >article "Legalize it!" in the Nov-Dec issue of Audubon Magazine. > >That was a very good article! > >I myself have personal experience in feeding, and attempting to feed, >hempseed to my birds. > >Many of your readers are no doubt familiar with Volkman Seed Company, who >have been manufacturing birdseed for the past 137 years. I searched on the >internet for a company who sold birdseed containing hempseed as one of its >ingredients. The Seed Factory of Ceres, CA, run out of the offices of >Volkman Seed, has a website with such a product. I ordered a fifty pound bag >of their "Parakeet Super" (which is supposed to contain 9 ingredients) and >when it arrived I was surprised to find hemp seed on the label, but not >inside the package! > >I called to complain and to urge the company to put hemp seeds back in their >products, as they advertise. I got my call returned by Dennis Drake of >Volkman Seed. He agreed with me that hemp seed is a good source of variety >and nutrition for different kinds of birds; and apologized for hemp seed not >being in their mixes. He said that, like other large birdseed manufacturers >(and he mentioned a few companies), Volkman makes bags and labels in the >thousands. While they pride themselves on being current, they ran out of >hemp seed two months ago and since then they (and doubtless other companies) >have been been unable to include it in their mixes. He told me how the only >processing plant in the US which was licensed to sterilize hemp seeds >stopped doing so about a year and a half ago. They bought a trainload full >then, and now they've finally run out. > >It seems that the sterilization plant which processed hemp seeds came under >such intense pressure from the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) that they >decided to drop their DEA registration. Only two importers hold a license to >import hemp seed into the US, and only this one single treatment facility >had approval to deactivate hempseed. When they dropped their registration, >they sent a letter (which Dennis was kind enough to forward to me) to their >biggest customers saying since no one is approved to treat imported hemp >seed, that prices will skyrocket, and that hempseed will then become extinct >in the US...unavailable until someone else successfully gets through the >lengthy process of gaining approval by the DEA to treat hemp seed (so buy >now). > >Fortunately for my birds, I was able to make contact with the Guysville, >OH-based company The Ohio Hempery, and to discover that hemp seeds remain >available for sale today. Today I received a 25 pound bucket of fresh >Canadian hemp seeds from the Ohio Hempery. I mixed it in with my defective >Parakeet Super and presto! complete nutrition for my birds. > >It is my hope that conscientious birdfeeders around the country examine the >birdseed they've bought. If it is supposed to contain hemp seed and it does >not, now you'll know why. My worst fear would be that birdseed manufacturers >simply stop including hemp seed in their blends, because it is the easiest >thing to do. Demand that they bring back the hemp seed now! In spite of what >DARE may tell your children, this is wonderful food for the birds, and not a >schedule one narcotic. > >If you've never experienced the delight of watching normally-finicky birds >happily gobbling down their hempseed-based food, you owe it to yourself and >to your birds to give it a try. > > - - - - Andrew Seidenfeld >260 Harrison Av #407 >Jersey City, NJ 07304 >201-433-3907 >noprob@mindspring.com > > >================================================================ > >This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to > the mailing list . >To unsubscribe, E-mail to: