Sowing the seeds of survivalism on talk radio

Economic upheaval. Terrorism. Food shortages.

For those inclined to hoard gold against the collapse of the dollar and stockpile ammo for the day when guns are seized, the latest twist on survivalism has hit local airwaves in the form of ads that urge listeners to plant a "survival seed" garden.

For $149, customers get an acre's worth of non-modified seeds designed to sprout enough vegetables and fruit to feed family and friends indefinitely. In the event of famine, the Web ad notes, the seeds themselves could be bartered, and the seed canister itself is "indestructible" and "can be buried to avoid confiscation."

Whether squirreling away crop seeds and other potential valuables constitutes crazy, off-the-grid survivalism or just common-sense self-sufficiency depends on whom you talk to.

Bill Heid, the owner of Solutions From Science, which produces the seed gardens, said that many people scoffed at survival gardens before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the economic meltdown that began two years ago.

Now, said Heid, whose ads have been airing on KTLK's morning Glenn Beck show, his product's appeal spans the political spectrum.

"My customers are not survivalist, gun-toting hicks," Heid said. "They are just average, flag-waving Americans." Though, he added, "I would suspect some of them are well armed."

Some Minnesota lawmakers and agriculture experts say the company -- whose owner ran into trouble for selling what the federal government called a bogus Himalayan diet supplement -- is antagonizing anxieties for profit.

"This is the most bizarre thing I have ever heard," said state Rep. Al Juhnke, DFL-Willmar, chairman of the House Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Finance Committee. "I don't want to see my big-city cousins get duped. Somebody's trying to sell you a pet rock."

On his website, Heid's pitch is a bit less mainstream. "You don't have to be an Old Testament prophet to see what's going on all around us," the site says. "A belligerent lower class demanding handouts. A rapidly diminishing middle class crippled by police state bureaucracy. An aloof, ruling elite that has introduced us to an emerging totalitarianism which seeks control over every aspect of our lives." The pitch: "If you don't have the ability to grow your own food next year, your life may be in danger."

Resurgence of self-sufficiency

The kit itself is a benign mix of heirloom-style seeds that, marketed differently, might appeal to your average organic foodie with a hankering for Black Valentine string beans, White Wonder cucumbers and Scarlet Nantes carrots.

Heid said he is selling an idea that has become more mainstream, even hip: a resurgence in the ethic of self-sufficiency. He notes that First Lady Michelle Obama planted a vegetable and herb garden on the White House lawn. Heid says he sells about 50 seed kits a day, some to churches and community groups.

"My idea was, 'How can we put these in everybody's house?'" Heid said. "It's for people who don't want to think about it."

Consumers might have reason to be cautious.

In June 2005, another Heid business had to repay customers $400,000 to settle charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission.

As part of "Operation Big Fat Lie," the agency claimed AVS Marketing deceptively sold a diet aid called "Himalayan Diet Breakthrough." The supplement reportedly contained "a paste-like material" that "oozes out of the cliff face cracks in the summer season" in the Himalayas.

Heid admitted no wrongdoing and blames the federal government for not mentioning its concern before his bank account swelled.

Whether Heid is tapping into organic purists or political paranoids, the nagging desire for just a little more self-sufficiency is definitely on the rise.

Michele Schermann, a public health nurse and agricultural research fellow at the University of Minnesota, is skeptical about survival seeds in particular, but notes that Heid's general advice is good.

"It's not a bad idea to get prepared," she said. While people don't need to hunker down in a bunker with bullets, generators and canned tuna, she said, "They just need to think about it in a basic way, just in case."

Schermann notes the Twin Cities is already home to some of the world's most accomplished survivalists -- the Hmong.

Schermann has studied how dozens of local Hmong families survive on area gardens and wild vegetables foraged in the woods.

"They've been through disasters," Schermann said. "I tell my Hmong friends, if something happens, I am coming over here."

Baird Helgeson • 651-222-1288