They aren't the enemy.
For real. Monsanto is not the bad guy.
They are a large agriculture biotechnology seed and chemical company.
They do spend butt loads of money to create new hybrids, seeds, and pesticides.
They do own patents on many different seeds and chemicals.
They are also in the business of making money for all those greedy stockholders. Which might be like the business where you or someone in your family work.
However, it seems the hatred, finger pointing, or plain and simple blaming for all things health or food related is at Monsanto. Yet, whenever I ask someone why the hostility towards Monsanto all they can say is they are making America fat or causing food allergies but can't elaborate past buzz words or news headlines. And here is what is really confusing, they aren't the only biotech company.
They just bought the Flavr Savr Tomato company, Calgene, back in the 90's. The tomato was really the first GMO breakthrough with the unfortunate circumstance of being born at company that didn't understand business, marketing or logistics. Good science doesn't always equate to success.
Here's the thing, I have my days when I curse Monsanto. Mainly the days I get my corn and soybean seed bills. But, then I take a deep breath and realize that if I didn't have the bill in the size it is, we wouldn't have the yields in the size we do. Just like when I curse at the cost of a medication that doesn't have a generic. If I didn't pay the high price for that medicine, I would be taking one that doesn't work or not have a better one in five years.
Listen people, GMO or biotechnology isn't as frankenscience as some folks would like you to believe. Biotechnology simply serves as a more technologically advanced method that moves a couple of genes, specifically targeted genes, from one plant to another. However, conventional breeding messes with the entire plant genome in a more trial and error method. This is sort of like a short person having a baby the old fashioned way with a tall person in hopes of having children that would be tall. Well, the children could be taller or not. But if we could see the DNA of the embryo or even better, the egg and the sperm, we could guarantee it.
Photo Credit: Lens of a Farm Girl
I am not saying GMOs are perfect or the end all be all. Yes, Monsanto and Dupont and DowAgrosciences and other agribusiness has been the big winner financially. BUT, with the availability of seeds for plants like Roundup Ready soybeans or Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt) corn that allows the plant itself be an insecticide so chemicals don't have to be sprayed to kill the bugs, farmers are also winners. But just because a company makes money doesn't make the technology bad, does it? I mean, I am typing this on a MacBook and you might be reading it on your idevice. Does that make Apple evil?
Because, whether you want to admit it or not, we all have benefited from GMO. We have increased agriculture production by nearly $100 billion and prevented nearly 500 million kg of pesticides from being sprayed since the commercialization of Roundup ready soybeans in 1996. Coincidently, the big bad agribusinesses that develop GMO seeds sell pesticides. If I had to guess, I would say most of us appreciate having less chemicals in the atmosphere.
The other shocking thing about GMO foods are the false claims people make about how bad GMO crops are for the environment. But the science, not just big ag science, doesn't agree. Tons of research is also available on the EPA’s website” evaluating the safety of GMOs, far more than has been done on conventionally grown foods, where some genuine health-related problems in fact have been found. Say what? Yep, here is one example...new non-GMO celery varieties have been introduced and now it has been found to have natural toxins that are harmful to some people, including farm workers who handle the crops on a daily basis. There are no comparable examples of any GMO crop or food presenting such health challenges.
Photo Credit: Lens of a Farm Girl
I can almost guess where you are going now...But what about all this weed resistance and terminate gene that is so bad. Well, here is the thing, the terminator seed we are all crying foul over, doesn't exist in the market place. As for weed resistance, be careful where you point your finger. Lots of weeds are becoming resistant to herbicides that GMO crops are not resistant. Hhhmmm, how is that? Simply put weed resistance is caused by continuous use of the same weed killer you are using to kill weeds. If you keep using the same thing to kill your weeds, even organic weed killers
And you are still worried that Monsanto is just in bed with Government regardless of everything else, aren't you? I am sure you have had someone post something in their facebook news feed asking for help by signing a petition of calling Congress to stop the Monsanto Protection Act. I guess this is when the policy loving side of me starts to scream at my computer, write really long comments to these posts and then delete them because I can't fight a battle about what the law says if people aren't actually reading it. People, don't be sheep. If someone says this is a bad law, go read it before you start quoting or blasting bad information across the internet. At least snopes this stuff and get the cliff notes version.
But, let me explain what the so called Monsanto Protection Act means in more general public example. I am going to substitute Pfizer for Monsanto for this example.
Let's pretend that Pfizer (or any drug company) has developed a new form of medicine that helps your hyperactive attention deficit child focus, stay out of trouble all while also not having the drug glaze. It is almost miraculous. Then a mom somewhere claims that the drug caused cancer in her child. No doctor told her this, but she needs something to blame and that is the only thing she can pinpoint. So, she files a law suit suing the FDA for approving this drug that in her opinion causes cancer. Well, if we didn't have the "Pfizer Protection Act" everyone who has the drugs in the cabinets would have to throw them out immediately and could no longer get anymore no matter how bad they needed it or wanted it. Wouldn't you be furious that you had to start over finding solutions for your child because one person cast false allegations all to find out that 36 months later the courts found the case to be lacking the science to cause the approval of the ADHD drug to be overturned and the sales could now begin again. Livid. I would be livid.
Well, that folks is essentially what this Monsanto Protection Act does for farmers. Protects them by allowing them to use seed they have bought or want to buy until the lawsuit is final. That way the years which law cases last wouldn't cause the farmer to lose money. Notice, it isn't about Monsanto at all, it is about farmers. It is about protecting farmers from losing money on seed they have already purchased or that would allow them to grow more food.
I am not trying to convince you to be pro GMO or against non-GMO. I am just trying to convince all of us to look deeper into things we here to get the full story. I used to get all fired up and rant on why one type of food was better than another. Having a debate with an uninformed person is just frustrating and leaves everyone upset, offended and just pissed off. In order to have an informed public debate on both the risks and benefits of GMO crops and foods, all sides of the debate would have to support legitimate research on the safety of GMO crops and foods as well as provide the results to the public in a transparent, unbiased way. Then maybe we can also truly respect everyone's decision on what to eat and what not to eat.
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Kevin Folta
Gosh I want to high five you. You've seen through the BS and actually have looked at this objectively and scientifically. I can't say it much better than you have here.
Keep in mind that anti-GMO leaders Jeffrey Smith and Gilles-Eric Seralini are scheduled to debate me and Jon Entine on this issue on June 4 in Washington DC. Spread the news.
http://www.cato.org/events/great-biotechnology-debate-food-farming-balance
Janice
I can't wait for this debate!
Leah
I will be sure to share! This will be interesting!
Deb
If gmos are so harmless and there is nothing to fear....then label them. Let the people choose whether to eat them or not.
I did not drink the Monsanto Kool-aid like you have. There is NO place in our world for GMO's. None!
Guy
If you want non gmo food, buy all organic, everything that is sold in stores that is non organic is some way or form gmo.
Jackie
Why though?
Harbinger
So..... You're saying we should just let millions upon millions die from Starvation because natural organic crops cannot and NEVER will put out the yield necessary to feed them?
That makes sense......
Candice
Why would organic crops NEVER be able to put the yield out necessary to feed the hungry? AND, if these crops are so amazing, why are there still starving people?
Farm Wife
Organic crops are more labor intensive therefore it is physically impossible to produce the same crop yields as in conventional farming. There are still starving people in the world because the world population is increasing and developing countries cannot produce enough food to feed the people in those countries yet their populations are increasing. The world population has nearly tripled since 1950. Since there are more people, there are also less acres to farm due to urban sprawl.
EM
Since the development of GE corn there has been no increase in production to feed the world's hungry. You bought in to the hype.
Joe
Gee, maybe if you gave it some thought you might actually be able to figure it out on your own! What a concept!
Leah
I am not against labeling, as long as the label is truthful. I am all for a label that states that this food is or could contain a gmo so the farmer could reduce his or exposure to unnecessary chimicals, use fewer natural resources to grow the food and produce a larger amount of food on the same amount of ground. The nutritional differences between organic and non-organic are simply not there. I have researched and researched this as well. If you find non-biased research that isn't done by an organization pushing organics, please share with me.
As far as Kool-Aid, I love it. I am not just a fan of Monsanto, but also Dow Agrosciences, DuPont, and other biotech companies. Some of the smartest people in the world work for these companies to breed plants that will grow in floods, droughts, pest ridden environments. I have been to third world countries and looked in the eyes of mother's who have no food for their children because the crop that was planted was ate by bugs, deprived of water or flooded out. Their governments are not allowing GMOs because they have read scary stuff. Unfortunately, they don't understand the science. Many of the leader's in these governments are not educated. After seeing a momma watch her baby die of starvation, I am going to support people who are developing methods, that scientists have peer reviewed and deemed safe, to feed these babies. Call it mommy guilt.
Danielle
GMO's are labeled. Learn to read your food "stickers" that come on your fruits and vegetables. There are numbers there for a reason. Google it. You can tell if it is organic, modified, or traditionally grown.
Michele
Well said! I love the "Pfizer Protection Act" analogy.
Chris Baggott
LOL Do you not find it the least bit ironic that the author chose ADD as his example?
Plot the rise in GMO's to the rise in ADD diagnosis. Plot the rise in GMO use to Autism, Diabetes, Obesity or Cancer. And while your at it, do a Google search on "Pfizer Lawsuits" They have paid out a Billion dollars this year to settle lawsuits over false marketing and and unintended consequences of it's products: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-11-12/pfizer-resolving-several-lawsuits-over-its-drugs.
GMO or whatever...Corporations are not people. Here is a great quote from the book "Crisis and Opportunity"
"Capitalism is based on private ownership of property by individuals. But most private property in the United States today is owned by corporations, not by individuals. Classical capitalism depends on the social values and morals of the people to constrain their pursuit of individual self-interest. Corporations have no social or moral values. The only things a corporation values are profit and growth. People have hopes and dreams for the future because they have hearts and souls. Corporations have neither."
kate
Deb-
There is no need to label GMO foods as the non-GMO and organic varieties are already clearly labeled. If the product isn't' labeled as organic or GMO free you should assume it does contain GMOs. We don't need to label soda as full sugar when it's sitting next to the sugar-free variety.
Deb
Ummm....yes the sugar laden variety of soda is labeled. It either states under the ingredients sugar or HFCS. The label also states how many grams of sugar per serving there is in the product.
Carla Griffin
Most products AREN'T labelled organic or non-GMO. I just want labels telling me what my food is.
Annie @ Mama Dweeb
If a product is 100% organic, then it is 100% non-gmo. There is no way around that, that is how the compliance process goes. And if a company is stupid enough to pay a premium for organic ingredients and NOT label it, that is their loss. Shop from people that know how to label their stuff LOL
I am sorry Carla, but high quality organic food producers DO label organic products "organic." Your comment confuses me.
Deb
You can buy "organic" seedless watermelons. That's an oxy-moron. The seedless variety "is" gmo and just because you raise a gmo seed in organic conditions does not make the food non-gmo.
pepperjunkie
Seedless watermelons are not gmo. They are triploid plants that can't produce fertile seds. A diploid (2n) parent is crossed with a tetraploid (4N) parent which yields a triploid (3n), sterile offspring. Diploid plants are made into tetraploids by using colchicine, a chemical extracted from autumn blooming crocus. Take a basic botany class.
Deb
Colchicine is a highly poisonous natural product...
Arsenic is in apple seeds that doesn't mean it is healthy to consume aresnic.
GMO (genetically modified organism) What you describe above is modifying the genetics.
Deb
From Monsanto's website...
They genetically modify seeds to they can patent them...
Notice where watermelons are listed??
http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/southeast-growers-seminis-field-day.aspx
Deborah
pepperjunkie...ummmmmm that makes it genetically modified duh...some peoples children lol
Jodi
Deborah,
The only GMO approved crops that can be grown in the U.S. are: corn, soybeans, alfalfa, summer squash, sugar beets, papaya, but not watermelon. Duh...
Leah
So, while seedless watermelons can be developed through genetically modifying the organism, here is what the watermelon farmers say to describe seedless watermelon:
โA seedless watermelon is a sterile hybrid which is created by crossing male pollen for a watermelon, containing 22 chromosomes per cell, with a female watermelon flower with 44 chromosomes per cell. When this seeded fruit matures, the small, white seed coats inside contain 33 chromosomes, rendering it sterile and incapable of producing seeds. This is similar to the mule, produced by crossing a horse with a donkey. This process does not involve genetic modification.โ
http://www.whataboutwatermelon.com/index.php/2010/09/the-truth-about-seedless-watermelon/
It happened the old fashion way in the field.
Dean
As I sit here, I have zero idea if what I eat is GMO or not. And i admit to being under-aware of the importance here. Common sense tells me I'd rthaer mother nature to do the work and let someone else package it and thats it.I have seen some twitter chatter on the topic as some of my tweeps retweet on the topic. This is who I see retweeted often Patrick recently posted..
Shannon McNamara
Well said Leah! I hear a lot of misnomers sitting around at sporting events from parents who always buy organic or natural. They are constantly bad-mouthing GMO's. Pat just ignores them but I may just print this off and hand it to them!
Melissa
Nothing is clearly labeled. Most people do not know or understand when they are eating GMO. I work in the cancer field and we have far too many incidences to ignore. I have on ask myself what has changed in the last 20 years to warrant this? GMO!!!! There is no clear research done because Monsanto, Dow, DuPont and the rest of them do not just hand over their seeds for scientific research. Instead, we the consumers and the FDA rely on internal, home grown studies conducted by the companies themselves. What about Chapela and Puzstai? Anytime an unfavorable study is released it is automatically dismissed. Monsanto is even controlling the medical and scientific journals ie) Food & Chemical Toxicology who recently hired Richard Goodman, ex Monsanto employee, to dispute the Seralini affair. There's far too many conflicts of interest between the bioengineering companies, scientific journals, and our government to analyze this unbiasedly. There's a reason the EFSA have not given the green Lightroom saturate all of Europe with this poison. WE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT'S IN OUR FOOD!!!!!
Karo
Well said
Jake
You work in the cancer field? Okay that says nothing. You could be a janitor at ACS. And your logic is so laughable.
"I have on ask myself what has changed in the last 20 years to warrant this? GMO!!!! "
Cell phones, internet, Sierra Mist, Toyota Prius, Miley Cyrus, Pluto's downgrade, Tennessee Titans. Oh and also monumental improvements in diagnostics for cancer and many other ailments. Likewise, monumental improvements in treatment for cancer and many other ailmens, some using the same techniques as those to develop GMO.
But I guess we should just go back to the dark ages and fear technology and science, burn them at the stake as heretics because "WE ALL KNOW" they're ruining this world. The "WE ALL KNOW" crowd is great at shouting their ignorance to the heavens but when it comes to reasonable evidence-based debate? Oh yeah, sorry, my pet cricket is hungry.
One last thought: The organic crowd likes to throw words like sustainability around. However, if agriculture were limited to organic standards, the human population as it stands today would not be sustainable. In fact, we'd have to kill at least 1,000,000,000 people today.
That's ONE BILLION.
TODAY.
You have a right to know what's in your food. Nobody is preventing you from getting up off your ass and finding out. It's not a secret. It's just that rational people know that most people are lazy. Most people don't want to take the time to educate themselves on the basics of food production. This is why most people think that cows have four stomachs (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!). This is why irradiation for food safety purposes has been shot down consistently -- because people are lazy and think that irradiated products means irradiated people. Science be damned, burn the heretics.
Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
Here endeth the lesson.
Charles
"Cell phones, internet, Sierra Mist, Toyota Prius, Miley Cyrus, Plutoโs downgrade, Tennessee Titans. Oh and also monumental improvements in diagnostics for cancer and many other ailments. Likewise, monumental improvements in treatment for cancer and many other ailmens, some using the same techniques as those to develop GMO."
So true. This statement about monumental improvements in diagnostics has so much truth to it. Great point!!!
Matthew Clinkenbeard
Well said...
MLRieth
I have to concur. All the "research" I read about are from people that have an agenda or have already decided GMOs are the devil. I'm not buying it. I'm a biologist and I fail to see how GMOs will cause cancer. I just don't see it. And the hysteria over them just really turns me off. I don't believe in pseudo science.
Leah
The science and research part is tough. But, the science has been done. But, don't take my word on it, look at this quote from Discover Magazine:
Probably the most common claim of anti-GMO activists is that GMOs are untested and unsafe. Charles Benbrook, an organic proponent (why is a proponent of organic and opponent of GM merely labeled an โagricultural policy expertโ?) is quoted in the story saying that the โscience just hasnโt been done.โ Thatโs just not true. There are hundreds upon hundreds of studies. Genetically engineered crops are some of the few foods tested before they come on the market and all the data is on the EPAโs website. This testing is not typically the case for non-biotech foods.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/collideascape/?p=10721#.UaUO9oL3hAL
betty
Their history tells us that they are not good stewards of the land, so pardon me for being skeptical of them and their motives when they've sought and received immunity from lawsuits. Very bad neighbors and very bad business. Just ask anyone from the Anniston, Alabama area. http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/Jones/anniston.htm
Nate
Another nice article in defense of GMO's. Unfortunately, the toothpaste is already out of the tube on this issue (for years now). The conspirancy theorists have so many ghosts their chasing that this issue will live on for years to come. What confounds me is something I have not considered until lately. Consumers are demanding "the right to know what's in our food". Why is this a right? Do they demand to know what is in their cell phones? If they knew about the disgrace the Tin industry is would they go back to rotary phones? Does the fact that a person pays money for a product give them the "right" to know everything about the product? Shouldn't that type of question be answered before money is expended by the buyer? Does this logic hold for food or is it exempt?
Deb
Food is required for life....a cell phone isn't. You put food into your body. Food is meant to be a source of nutrition not chemically laden, cancer causing, genetically engineered creations.
The food supply was just fine before Monsanto decided that they need to control the food supply.
So to answer your question. Yes, I/we have the right to know what's in our food. If I eat an apple I want that apple to be just an apple. I don't need or want pig dna added to it just so Monsanto can patent and own that seed.
Drew
Deb.. You make it sound like cancer didn't exist before Monsanto arrived ? Inform yourself before you puke left wing rhetoric out your mouth. Where is the proof gmo food creates all the worlds illnesses ?
Deb
Left Wing??? LOL...that's interesting and that's a first! FYI....I've voted republican since I was 18 years old....that doesn't mean that I swallow all of the nonsense hook-line-sinker that the party spews.
Where did I say that Monsanto causes "all" of the world's illness'? There are other cancer causing agents abundant in our world today. Cancer did exist yet not the increased numbers that there is today. I won't get into detail here because those of you that drank the Monsanto Kool-Aid won't understand anyway. Food and water are both needed for "life"...we are talking about Monsanto here not another entity. What I will say is this....there is tons of data out there proving my statements. I'll enclose "one" link in this response...
http://www.naturalnews.com/037249_GMO_study_cancer_tumors_organ_damage.html
One more note. How many farmers out there today plant their crops (Monsanto'ls crops) without any Government (tax-payer) assistance? Grants/Federal Aid/Incentives?
Have a nice day...enjoy your unlabeled GMO foods/crops.
lori
I absolutely love your last statement here!!
Jackie
Yes, food and water are needed for life. EVERYONE needs food and water to survive; You and I sitting at our computer that have grown up with all the luxuries that we could possibly need and those sitting in third world countries that may never know a single luxury in their lifetime.
So if everyone needs food and water for life, how do you suppose we provide that to them? The world population is growing at a dramatic rate and in order to provide food for everyone the world will have to produce more in the next 30 years than we have in the past 10,000!
So go ahead and stand on your soap box about labeling GMOs and why you think it is important. No need to argue why your life is more important than a hungry child in another county. Because without GMOs, that child will never have that food and water you are so confident you will have!
Deb
Jackie
It seems as though logic is wasted on so many. So this will be my final response on this thread.
http://www.naturalnews.com/037262_GMO_Monsanto_debate.html
Peace Out...
Enjoy your gmos
Diana
There's probably the biggest misconception of them all- farmers are not subsidized food is subsidized. They allow farmers to sell produce below the cost of production so you can spend less on it and instead waist your money.
Chris
I am a farmer and yes I grow Monsanto seed and yes I receive some government subsidies/payments. (Which are pennies compared to the dollars I put into operating expenses ever year; all the while praying that Mother Nature will provide me with favorable weather and that the markets don't go south so I can make a little money and provide for my family.) However farmers are not the only ones receiving government grants, subsidies, etc. Pretty much all green energy companies are getting government help, so are the railroads, big oil, if I remember correctly not to long ago the government bailed out big banks and auto makers too, and the list could go on and on. The United States has the cheapest food in the world and it is all thanks to improvements in production practices some of which include GMOs.
MLRieth
I take issue with your general lack of information on farming in this country. For your information we do not grow GMO wheat. We use chemicals for many companies not just Monsanto. How Monsanto is taking the rap for all the extraordinarily bad pseudo science connected with the hysteria over GMO foods would be funny if it weren't so sad.
But beyond that you should probably do a little research on where the farm program monies are spent before you start spewing your uninformed vitriol toward those of us trying to feed the world and make a living. I am a farm wife and I work for NASDA (National Association of Departments of Agriculture). Most of the money in the farm program goes to Food Stamps. It was hidden in the farm program to convince the voters that our government really isn't spending that much on feeding people at taxpayers expense. The money that we get in "subsidies" as you so ignorantly put it, are reduced to a pittance compared to what we used to get years ago. As a matter of fact the entire "subsidy" program is being shifted to an insurance based program that we, the farmer, must pay for. The farmer, the person producing the food, enjoys the least amount of income compared to any other part of the food industry. And we are the ones taking all the risks because we rely on nature and the whims of the commodities market. I don't think you could find a farmer in my are of the country that wouldn't gladly give up our "subsidies" if the government would just get out of our business and stop telling us how to do what we know how to do best. As an example of just how monumentally stupid the government is at controlling the land, take a look at the CRP program which contracts with farmers to abandoned perfectly good cropland, seed it to grass, and then send them a check every year to their vacation home in Arizona. The ripple effect on little farming communities has been devastating and particularly mishandled since that program was originally meant to take care of "highly erodible land" and has stretched to being applied fence to fence. Honey, look the government before you criticize farmers for just trying to make a living.
Beth
Pig DNA? You've gotta be kidding me. Please tell me you aren't so far down the rabit hole that you actually believe that's happening. Penn and Teller did an amazing Bullsh!t episode that touched on this very issue. It's worth watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKjFc50fBNY
That study involving rats and GMO corn? Not scientifically valid. Read more about it here: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/10/french-gm-corn-study-not-scientifically-valid/#.UaFpVcrZd8E I'm very skeptical of all this anti-GMO thinking, but even I was drawn in by that one when it first hit the press. So really we're back to the same standoff...show me scientific proof - irrefutable evidence that's widely accepted by the UNBIASED scientific community and studies with results than can be reproduced by independent researchers. If GMO food is as horrible as you say it is Deb, then that shouldn't be hard to do. Until then, I will indeed enjoy my GMO food!
Michael
Whoa! As a farmer who used to get a few pennies per acre from the government, I will now chime in.
Todays higher prices have made government payments to farmers in my area a thing of the past. Those higher prices are due to increased demand for the products that you do not want.
As for everyone wanting their food labeled as GMO or not, sorry, those wanting their food labeled GMO free are in the vast minority in this world. There are a vocal few crying for GMO labeling. Most folks just want their food budget to last until their next paycheck.
Janice
I actually read a post by an ethicist on helping clarify what is a right.... You may find it interesting http://food-ethics.com/2010/09/28/the-right-to-know-what-im-eating/
Nate J
Thanks Janice. You're always such a helpful commenter! Your collection of bookmarked posts must be very extensive. That post you sent me to was from 2010. It was a very good one by the way. Thanks again.
Karo
What about the chile peppers in New Mexico that are now GMO? I use to think that sticking to fresh produce as opposed to processed foods meant that I was buying actual food not "lab produced" food. I want to know my produce is not GM. It's sometimes difficult to obtain organic produce depending where my family is stationed. Therefore I find it necessary to label produce and meat that has been GM.
Brian Vree
Well how about we just label EVERYTHING? I don't want my food to be fertilized with diseased animal poop (often the case with organic) -- can we label that? Or label food that was only hand picked with laborers who washed their hands first? We can keep adding label requirements--
Michael
Food is still grown on farms, but lab grown food may indeed come someday. We'll all be eating algae.
I think you are confusing processors with food producers. Baby carrots are processed from larger carrots. People eat them by the ton. Potato chips are processed from real potatoes. They've been around for a very long time. There are indeed many factory processed foods, but food still starts on a farm, not in a factory.
Hannah
Because of GM technology, farmers have reduced their pesticide and chemical use by 379 million pounds since the time GM was introduced 20 years ago. I appreciate the fact that this is an issue seed companies are taking note of and are making strides to help make better. It takes almost 16 years for a new GM plant to come to market because of the extensive testing that is done to ensure it is safe not only for humans, but for animals and the environment.... Not to mention hunger in our own nation. If the U.S. relied on 1950s farming practices to produce our food today, 151 million people worldwide would go hungry. Thatโs equal to the combined populations of California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Georgia plus there would be more erosion, pesticide use, land use and energy use. Fewer rounds in the fields, fewer CO2 emissions. The lists go on and on. Working with farmers on a daily basis, I find it amazing every time I visit farms and see them taking care of land that has been in their families for generations and making strides to improve the way the last generation grew food. Farmers have the choice to grow GM or non-GMO crops and thankfully we live in a nation where consumers can buy organic food if they don't want to consume GM foods. We have a responsibility to take care of our people and our land, so I am thankful that GM crops are helping to do that.
Proud to be a Farmer
My suggestion to those who are anti-GMO is that if you don't like it then grow your own. That way you know what you are consuming. It's not hard, most must understand that food does not magically appear in the grocery store. Most farm families grow crops to feed you, but we grow crops for ourselves too. Veggies, fruits, etc. My family, personally, eats very little processed food. We eat beef that we raised. It's just that simple. If you don't like the way someone else does it, then do it your way for yourself.
Paul
Why don't we just let Monsanto put their patented genes in all plant life that way we all half to bow down to them and then that way they can charge farmers whatever the hell they want for seeds! Oh how the world be so much better off if one company controlled the worlds food supply and we had no choice but only GMO seeds! We can all be slaves of Monsanto and they keep getting richer & richer!
Leah
Well, I am sure Monsanto sells plenty of non-GMO seed and would be happy to sell you the chemicals to use on them. Or you could go to Pioneer or Dow to buy your seed. Monsanto is a monster. Their seed is superior in some instances, but by no means am I promoting that we bow down and let them charge what they want for any seed. We can choose to buy elsewhere. The reason they have such a large piece of the seed market though is because the margins must be there for farmers. Monsanto is a publicly traded company. Feel free to buy a few Monsanto stocks so you can get rich with them.
Lesh
Very interesting article with a different point of view than I have ever heard.
That being said, I know how my body feels now that we have given up GMO foods. Also how my body feels when I go back to GMO foods.
That for me is proof enough to stay away from GMOs.
Leah
Which is what is awesome about having a food system with choices! I want you to have the choice to buy what is right for your body. Many times I have been talking with fellow moms and inevitably food allergies will come up. Someone will blame all the GMOs for their wheat allergy. They always look at me funny when I ask them where they have gotten their hands on flour from GMO wheat since it isn't available commercially. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jf305122s
Make sure you know GMO is the makes your body feel bad, and not the food itself.
Emmy
Thank you thank you!! Thank you for a well thought out and researched post that doesn't just jump on the bandwagons. If you don't mind I am totally going o share this on FB!
Leah
Share away! Thanks for reading.
Nicole L
I seriously LOVE you. Stumbled across this blog through Facebook and all I can say is seriously AMEN sister!! I also love the comparison of people in our society acting like sheep, so true, and so much ignorance! Keep it up!
todd fergels
Unfortunately, the bigger issue here is as usual, ignored. Although consuming milk tainted with antibiotics and infectious tissue is bad enough, the actual tangible danger is far worse. The Monsanto Corporation is in the business of genetic patenting, not meeting the needs of the "market." Once you own the means to genetic crop production, you now own the rights to food production as a whole. Do your own home work on the Monsanto Corporation and its subsidiaries, you will be pretty sickened by it. Buyer beware indeed.
Michael
The Monsanto company is in many businesses, but they will never own all of the seed production rights. They also are responding to the needs of the market. In the years before glyphosate farmers were asking chemical companies for a magic pesticide so they would not have to use so many different, really bad chemicals to keep their crops safe. We now use so many less pesticides on the farm, and it is wonderful. You should have seen the nasty things the old pesticides really did.
Monsanto is not the only company in the world producing GMO's, and some of those companies are bigger than Monsanto, but they are foreign owned and we cannot see their books.
Jodi
Consuming milk tainted with antibiotics and hormones? Ugh... Here goes: milk is highly regulated. Milk may not go to the processing facility with any antibiotic residues! The milk from each farm is tested daily and if a farm has tainted milk the whole truck load has to be dumped and the responsible farm will be fined. The farm with the tainted milk doesn't get paid for it's milk that day. So it is in the farm's best interest to NOT send milk with antibiotics to the plant.
I"m not exactly sure where the infectious tissue statement comes from? You may be referring to Somatic Cell Count, which in it's basic form is white blood cells. An increase in white blood cells in the milk indicates that a cow may be fighting an infection somewhere. An allowable level across the US is a tank count of 400,000. That's really high for most farms. Dairy farms usually get paid a premium for keeping the SCC below 200,000 on a consistent basis. So it's not infectious tissue, it's just white blood cells.
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Our creator says in Leviticus 19:19 to not do this!!! I'm glad that money has some how become more important than life. You know as well as I do that this stuff is not safe!!! For anyone- there is a reason why most of the world has banned GMO products and they are using us as an experiment to see what it does in our children!! It's not natural, it's in humane and most of all, God said " not to do it"!!
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