“Baited” breath? Now, as a fisherman, that really has to be some bat breath!

Last Monday, the Supreme Court in Bowman v. Monsanto forced Vernon Bowman, a 75 year-old small farmer, to pay over $84,000 in damages to the Monsanto Company, the agribusiness giant with assets totaling $19.8 billion.

In a unanimous decision delivered by Obama appointee Elena Kagan, the court expanded the scope of Monsanto’s patent on genetically modified Roundup Ready soybeans, which account for 90 percent of soybeans planted in the US. The court ruled that farmers who purchase Roundup Ready seeds, plant them, and harvest them for use in future crop seasons are liable for having violated Monsanto’s product patent and can be sued even if their patent agreement had been exhausted.