Why are you afraid of patents? A patent provides the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing the patented invention for the term of the patent, usually 20 years from the filing date. 20 years is not a long time, and after that period you are free to use it without paying any fees.
Why aren’t you afraid of someone or something having exclusivity on your food source?
Yeah, but explaining it like that is not as much fun as engaging in some major doomage.