I guess you have never heard of no till farming. I guess Acres USA and farmers like Joel Salatin are imaginary.
Why would Monsanto alone spend over $8 million dollars against the California initiative to have GEOs labeled? Why? Why are they buying up most of the world's seed supply?
I would like numeric proof that it costs more oil for regular organic farms. You do understand that oil is required to produce synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides correct? I actually read books and don't depend on the internet for my information. Google searches can turn up a lot of interesting information but for me I prefer something that cannot be changed on a whim. If you are to find good information you would know it takes hours of gathering the information online and then hours more verifying that information.
"Do GMOs pose health risks to humans? (The FDA’s states, “Theoretically, genetic modifications have the potential to activate cryptic pathways synthesizing unknown or unexpected toxicants, or to increase expression from active pathways that ordinarily produce low or undetectable levels of toxicants.” The FDA encourages companies that are concerned about toxicity to “consult informally with the agency on testing protocols for whole foods when appropriate.”)" Forbes
"While so many California citizens are busy advocating for Prop. 37, there are still differing views worldwide on whether or not GMOs could be problem solvers or creators. British Parliament member
George Freeman, for example, urges the UK to ease up on its legislation. “The resilience we need for the future will be delivered by smart plant breeding – and that’s all GM is,” Freeman told farmers at a speech in Norfolk. Even
Bill Gates has argued that GMOs could help solve world hunger, calling upon other billionaires to invest in biotech companies. “By spending a relatively little amount of money on proven solutions, we can help poor farmers feed themselves,” Gates stated in his fourth annual letter, released in January 2012." Forbes
"The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems. Genes inserted into GM soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and that the toxic insecticide produced by GM corn was found in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses.
Numerous health problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just 9 years; food allergies skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise. Although there is not sufficient research to confirm that GMOs are a contributing factor, doctors groups such as the AAEM tell us not to wait before we start protecting ourselves, and especially our children who are most at risk.
The American Public Health Association and American Nurses Association are among many medical groups that condemn the use of GM bovine growth hormone, because the milk from treated cows has more of the hormone IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1)―which is linked to cancer."
""GMOs cross pollinate and their seeds can travel. It is impossible to fully clean up our contaminated gene pool. Self-propagating GMO pollution will outlast the effects of global warming and nuclear waste. The potential impact is huge, threatening the health of future generations. GMO contamination has also caused economic losses for organic and non-GMO farmers who often struggle to keep their crops pure."
"Most GM crops are engineered to be “herbicide tolerant”―they defy deadly weed killer. Monsanto, for example, sells Roundup Ready crops, designed to survive applications of their Roundup herbicide.
Between 1996 and 2008, US farmers sprayed an extra 383 million pounds of herbicide on GMOs. Overuse of Roundup results in “superweeds,” resistant to the herbicide. This is causing farmers to use even more toxic herbicides every year. Not only does this create environmental harm, GM foods contain higher residues of toxic herbicides. Roundup, for example, is linked with sterility, hormone disruption, birth defects, and cancer."
"Most of the health and environmental risks of GMOs are ignored by governments’ superficial regulations and safety assessments. The reason for this tragedy is largely political. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for example, doesn’t require a single safety study, does not mandate labeling of GMOs, and allows companies to put their GM foods onto the market without even notifying the agency. Their justification was the claim that they had no information showing that GM foods were substantially different. But this was a lie. Secret agency memos made public by a lawsuit show that the overwhelming consensus even among the FDA’s own scientists was that GMOs can create unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects. They urged long-term safety studies. But the White House had instructed the FDA to promote biotechnology, and the agency official in charge of policy was Michael Taylor, Monsanto’s former attorney, later their vice president. He’s now the US Food Safety Czar."
"Biotech companies like Monsanto told us that Agent Orange, PCBs, and DDT were safe. They are now using the same type of superficial, rigged research to try and convince us that GMOs are safe. Independent scientists, however, have caught the spin-masters red-handed, demonstrating without doubt how industry-funded research is designed to avoid finding problems, and how adverse findings are distorted or denied."
"GM crops and their associated herbicides can harm birds, insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems, and soil organisms. They reduce bio-diversity, pollute water resources, and are unsustainable. For example, GM crops are eliminating habitat for monarch butterflies, whose populations are down 50% in the US. Roundup herbicide has been shown to cause birth defects in amphibians, embryonic deaths and endocrine disruptions, and organ damage in animals even at very low doses. GM canola has been found growing wild in North Dakota and California, threatening to pass on its herbicide tolerant genes on to weeds."
"Whereas sustainable non-GMO agricultural methods used in developing countries have conclusively resulted in yield increases of 79% and higher, GMOs do not, on average, increase yields at all. This was evident in the Union of Concerned Scientists’ 2009 report Failure to Yield―the definitive study to date on GM crops and yield.
The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report, authored by more than 400 scientists and backed by 58 governments, stated that GM crop yields were “highly variable” and in some cases, “yields declined.” The report noted, “Assessment of the technology lags behind its development, information is anecdotal and contradictory, and uncertainty about possible benefits and damage is unavoidable.” They determined that the current GMOs have nothing to offer the goals of reducing hunger and poverty, improving nutrition, health and rural livelihoods, and facilitating social and environmental sustainability.
On the contrary, GMOs divert money and resources that would otherwise be spent on more safe, reliable, and appropriate technologies."
DOn Huber is not a bad scientist. Some of his concern has maybe led to emotional pleas before having more scientific data. This would the same type of emotion that leads to profits over people. Why else would Monsanto force GMOs out there with large gobs of money donated to poloticians instead of allowing testing. What is their fear?
As for the type of farming I am developing on my property it is based on permaculture prinicples. Most of my crops will be from perennials such as hazelnuts, bushes, nuts and fruits. I will use no till annuals mixed into aspects of my pastures. I will ramp up the number of species in order that differing weather patterns that can sometimes be extreme will benefit one species while limiting another. I practice water conservation. So you tell me how this results from over use of oil versus if I used Green Revolution standards?
When I find enough time this week I will do something I don't wish to do and that is grab my books and start quoting for you. This is a waste of my time as I cannot convince a belief away I can merely change a scientific opinion.
I would be curions to understand what cause you to believe that these are stable genes and organisms. I do not know of a technology in existence that allows for exact placement of correct gene sequences into an already formed gene. You would need to be capable of synthesizing a cellular environment and all the components to do this action and force a computation by them to do so. One promising technology might be found brain fart for the term.
