My family has owned/farmed land in this county since 1889. We are in the planting seed business. I am fully aware of what you wrote about. And the licensing mine field associated with it.
We have had to change sources for our seed because of it. Feel very comfortable with the people we are associated with.
The same can be said for the breeding of livestock, especially chickens. Breed for conversion rate from feed, nothing else.
In the wheat industry it is the same, you sell pounds. I the bushel weight is 60+ lbs./bu it is all about lbs. per acre. Nothing for quality. (except some contracts for specialty milling)
I am not a prepper, but what they advocate is largely how we have always lived. We are pretty self-sufficient and if necessary could be totally.
You'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) about just how widespread ignorance is on these topics, even among Freepers and even among rural people, who should know better.
What you said about chickens especially holds true. We're fortunate to have access to Amish raised chickens here in this part of Pennsylvania, but most of what is sold has either the Purdue or Tyson label on it. It is not just the uniform tastelessness of the meat which bothers us, but also knowing the conditions under which it is raised and processed.
My Dad used to collect blood samples from poultry plants all over eastern North Dakota and NW Minnesota as part of his job. We raised free range chickens (back before the term was even popular) and would only send them to a Mennonite family owned plant which always exceeded the inspection requirements. Our chickens were a combination of hearty Asiatic breeds (cochins) and crested breeds (Polish) which were especially adapted to winters in that part of the country. We sold a lot of meat (at a premium) to people who appreciated the difference and a lot of breeding stock to hobbyists who wanted to get in on the action.
There still wasn't enough money in it back then to make it any more than a side income.