So what's so bad about soy in feed?

[LastChanceChickenDance]

The thing that GMO corn and soy does is allow the field to be sprayed with weedkiller to kill the weeds. The genetically modified corn and soy plants have been bred//DNA changed (or whatever they do) to resist being killed by the weedkiller. The corn and soy plants themselves don't die. Just the weeds. So even though the corn and soy plants don't die, they still get the toxicity on their leaves/seeds and take it into their system with water. My understanding is THAT is the problem with GMO corn and soy—the poison weedkiller that has been sprayed on them.

However, if you are buying organic corn and soy products, the fields in which they're grown haven't been sprayed with weedkiller. So even if the seeds are from a GMO source, I don't think that would be a problem. I don't think the problem is something inherent in the GMO plants themselves. The problem is the toxic weedkiller. (It is difficult for farmers to purchase corn and soy seeds that haven't been genetically modified, btw. The major seed producing company has made sure of that.) I actually don't know where organic farmers get their seeds.

I don't know everything about the issue, but that is my understanding.

If you want to watch an interesting documentary get "King Corn" from Netflix. It's all about GMO corn growing, why high fructose corn syrup is bad for you (the nasty, toxic chemicals they use to make it), etc.

 

[katharinad]

The organic grown regulations are rather weak in the US. They don't regulate how far a field has to be away from a road, which will have toxic pollutants. They don't say for how long a field has to be pesticide free before planted with organic crops. They don't regulate the usage on of air plane pesticide application on neighboring fields. They don't even regulate the water being used on those field. Some get their water from sewage plants, even though it is deemed save. I've lived in Monterey and the entire Salinas valley is using treated sewage water. You can smell it for miles, that how bad it is. Yet you see fields within marked as organic. What a freaking fraud that is! This leave a lot open when it comes to true organics. Nobody seem to test the products for residues either. They are way more strict in Europe. Never the less, less exposure to any plant is better. So overall the term Organic has to be taken with caution.

At least I know what I grow for my personal use is organic.

 

[H04]

More GMO info on youtube... search "Truth about Monsanto"

 

[Wifezilla]

Monsanto is evil as far as I am concerned. Anything I can do to make sure they get as few of my dollars as possible the better.

 

[joeyg4583]

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Me too and these days they are involved in most of the crops out there unfortunately.

 

[LizGled628]

You guys might be interested in "Food Inc". All about the food industry and farming. Also, you should read any of Michael Pollan's books (Omnivores Dilemma and In Defense of Food). Very interesting facts about GMO and the food we eat!

 

[jmc]

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Three cheers for this one!

 

[HiddenHill Heretic]

Katharinad... Thanks for stating the truth about Federal Organic Certification. GM food is completely legal to sell under "organic" labeling. Agribusiness drafted the new organic guidelines to allow clear divergence from older organic certification requirements. Greenwashing at its finest. Farmers who have grown organically here in the Monterey Bay area are up in arms about federal certification. Farmers are trying to rebrand themselves... local, biodynamic, CCOF, Oregon Tilth(one of the best), and many other names have been used locally. The animal feed issue is a tough one. Corn and Soy are questionable.. but real alternatives for dozens of birds can be prohibitively expensive. Awareness is paramount.

 

[Wifezilla]

I am still using commercial feed but I am not happy about it. I do give my ducks are much greenery as I can along with worms, minnows, and duckweed. My goal is to eventually have them off the store stuff completely.

 

[poltroon]

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Can you give me a reference for this? It's possible the rules changed without my notice, but last time I looked GMO could not be USDA Organic. Indeed, the only way to buy non GMO soy in the US now is to buy organic soy.

Also, the comment that organic does not regulate previous field use is false. It takes three years of documented organic-compliant practices before a farm can be labeled USDA Organic. Oregon Tilth is one of the companies that will certify you meet the USDA Organic standards - they are not creating their own standards.