GM Foods and what they are doing to us...

[Rosalind]

No one wants government subsidies or regs.... We've had over 200 years of presidents being elected w/promise of cheap food. Key word is CHEAP...

Hey, I want some regulations! Having had many object lessons in the importance of regulations, and tough ones, in my field, I wouldn't mind some regs right now. Starting with, "All employees of agricultural endeavors must be resident aliens or citizens." IOW, they must have the civil rights to organize and sue their employers for lousy working conditions.

I don't think it's been 200 years. I mean, I don't think any president prior to, say, 1900 was elected on the basis of food prices. Lots of presidents get elected on military victories, or at least perceived military victories, including our current one. Others get elected on political connections (Taft, McKinley, Buchanan). Before, what, the Victorian era, even through WWI, most Americans did not buy the majority of their food from a grocery store, so a promise of cheap food would not have gotten any politician very far. Maybe you are thinking of European kings, as Europe has been urbanized for far longer than the US--they did get most of their food from markets, and the kingship meant that if there wasn't a "chicken in every pot" (Henry IV) then their heads would be gracing a pikestaff. IIRC, Herbert Hoover was the first campaign to run on a platform of food prices, and that was in 1928--since his presidency precipitated the Great Depression, it didn't work out so well.

Still, I'd like to hear a proposal for what to do about this. I mean, currently we ARE in a situation where food inflation is overtaking people's incomes, worldwide hunger, etc., and that's with GMO and pesticide-sprayed food in the grocery store. Clearly it's not helping out as much as the marketing department promised. All I am hearing is that it is absolutely unreasonable to manage our food supply any way other than the (dysfunctional) way it is currently being managed, and that consumers are a bunch of emo fools. You're not really making any proposals to move us forward, my friend.

I will give you a tip, which maybe was not clear in my previous post: People get emotional about food, and drugs, and all sorts of stuff. If they are making an emotional argument (e.g., "mess with my dinner and I'll rip you a new one") then making an argument based on logic or economics is probably not going to be a winner. You've got a choice of a. capitulating to their emotion, which is my recommendation and why so many drugs are withdrawn from the market these days b. addressing the emotional component with compassion (e.g., "I understand you're upset, and I validate your feelings, but here is the problem we are facing and this is one solution, we are open to other ideas as well and want all parties to be heard") c. complaining that people are stupid and backing yourself into a corner where nobody likes you. I am trying to lead you gently by the hand here, yanno? I do realize that Monsanto et al. themselves seem to be quite oblivious to the scope of their PR problem--at this point they might as well change the company name to "Pol Pot & Sons" or "Stalin Inc."--but complaining instead of offering solutions or eliciting them from others is not exactly a leadership quality. Free advice, take it for what it is worth.​

 

[seedcorn]

1) First president was elected based on cheap food (tea). It has always been our countries goal for our people to eat cheap. We went out west in 1800's and slaughtered the local wild life for cheap food (as well as other reasons not at all noble).

2) Yes, we have a world wide food crisis even w/GMO's. Is it helping, in quantity, yes. Do an independent trial where GMO's are beside open pollinated. Open pollinated didn't even make 100 bu/acre. That's why in 1960's they had the 100 bu club, because not everyone could raise 100 bu/acre. You want an answer to the world hunger--good luck there. I know one thing, if we go to open pollinated like some want, yields will drop from 160 bu average to under 100 bu/acre. What do you think that would do to total food available in world?

3) Food will become a larger part of everyone's budget, that will not change. Until the world pop. stops growing, it's a moving target. IF I had my way, GMO's would be outlawed. But then your food budget would sore faster than drug prices......I'm OK with that as those of us in Ag would actually make a decent salary in comparison with rest of USA. I no longer buy what the Ag colleges try to ingrain in us that it's MY RESPONSIBILITY to feed the world with cheap food.

4) As far as my tactics, I knew that the ones who think w/emotions would never agree. It's the others who need to know both sides of story so that they can make educated decisions. Then live with the consequences of their decisions. I find it very interesting that people who don't work in a field, try to inform us in the field, how we are evil and have no idea how to do our job. EVERY trait that is in a GMO hybrid, is eaten already by anyone eating organic food-no it's not cross contamination. Organic growers have been using Bt from the very beginning, yet they say it's bad...

You all win, let's start a campaign to outlaw all GMO's and farming as we know it. Let's get it started!!!!!!

 

[SeaChick]

MAINE TOWN VOTES TO BAN GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS

REcent news from Maine. The town of Montville voted to phase out GMO crops over the next 2 years. On the heels of this town vote, Maine legislature passed bill LD 1650, which prtoects small farmers from being sued if they grow crops that have been contaminated by GMOs.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...rdinance_to_ban_genetically_engineered_crops/

 

[horsechick]

Question,
I've heard there is genetically engineered corn that will not reproduce itself, meaning its a one shot deal.
You plant it from their seeds. It grows and that's it.
Farmers used to keep some seeds and replant the next year, with this GE corn that is no longer possible.
Is that correct?
Thanks,
Angela

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
It has always been the goal that people eat well, and affordably. Eating cheap at the cost of our health and that of the planet's should be no one's goal at all.

We went out west in 1800's and slaughtered the local wild life for cheap food (as well as other reasons not at all noble).

At least it lived naturally and was raised naturally, not up to their hocks in their own manure, being fed byproducts of each other and pumped full of antibiotics just to keep them alive until they're slaughter size..

2) Yes, we have a world wide food crisis even w/GMO's. Is it helping, in quantity, yes. Do an independent trial where GMO's are beside open pollinated. Open pollinated didn't even make 100 bu/acre.

Says data bought and paid for by the GMO patent holders. (Snip the rest of the feed the world fear mongering)

3) Food will become a larger part of everyone's budget, that will not change.

The average American family now spends 10% of their budget on food. In the 40's they were spending 46%.

4) As far as my tactics, I knew that the ones who think w/emotions would never agree.

You say we think with our emotions. I say we think.

It's the others who need to know both sides of story so that they can make educated decisions.

They have only heard your side of the story up until recently. Now that they actually are getting a clue as to what's wrong with your system they can start to make educated decision.

Then live with the consequences of their decisions.

The consequences of the agribusiness model have already started to come home to roost.

I find it very interesting that people who don't work in a field, try to inform us in the field, how we are evil and have no idea how to do our job.

I find it interesting that people who have to live with the outcome don't have any say in it, according to you. People who have learned what's going on with our food supply are horrified, and rightly so. That education needs to continue.

EVERY trait that is in a GMO hybrid, is eaten already by anyone eating organic food-no it's not cross contamination.

What are you talking about? Now don't go down the breeding program path, that's a red herring. People who eat organic do not eat Roundup ready crops.

Organic growers have been using Bt from the very beginning, yet they say it's bad...

No, they don't, they say it is very bad to genetically splice that gene into food products. The application of BT to control a certain pest doesn't do anywhere near as much damage to non-pests as does the insertion of the gene into plants that are going to cover acres and acres of farmland.

You all win, let's start a campaign to outlaw all GMO's and farming as we know it. Let's get it started!!!!!!

Sounds like an excellent plan as far as I'm concerned.​

 

[tiki244]

seedcorn you are making statements that are totally emotional yet you accuse others of us of doing that,,,,,

that we are not informed from all sides, yet some of us are (I dont feel I need to go into my background at length here),,,,,

that only 'scientists' have the right to an opinion, yet you are making a lot of 'assumptions' and statements about ideas and other people,,,,

you ask for credentials and referenced material from others,,,,,,,hold yourself to the same standards,,,,,,,

there are more than 2 views to this subject

 

[tiki244]

Quote:
SeaChick Maine is a state that is ahead of the times in many areas,,,,,lucky you for living there

nice article and info

 

[seedcorn]

Quote:
Yes, GMO's do come up if you saved seed. Farmers can not keep their own seed if it was developed by an independent breeder. Varieties are protected by law.

Farmers use to bin run soybeans, companies never sued because the cost of litigation was worse than the penalty. they can still bin run soybeans if they use a Government variety but not a private developed variety.

There was some "talk" of inserting a "kill" gene in soybeans were this would happen if you sprayed a chemical on it. needless to say, that never happened.

Corn is an F1 cross and the seed saved would be 50-100 bu/acre off in yield. that's why farmers quit open pollinated seed--same problem. They saw it in their own farms, quit voluntarily in the 50's.

 

[seedcorn]

Side note, bin running wheat is still going on. There are only about 3 places breeding wheat now because of it. New cultivars of wheat are scarce because you spend a great deal of money developing it only to have the farmer buy 10 bushel and never buy again.... Altho in midwest not a lot of wheat per farmer is grown so it's not worth the trouble of bin running. Not sure how it's down in Kansas area.

 

[seedcorn]

not up to their hocks in their own manure, being fed byproducts of each other and pumped full of antibiotics just to keep them alive until they're slaughter size..

Where is this? Please turn them into the humane society. If they are pumped full of antibiotics they can't be slaughtered. So again turn these people in that you know are doing this. It's against FEDERAL law to do this.