I get to meet a lot of neat people in my line of work. When I strike up a conversation with someone new, the discussion almost always leads to the distrust in our nation's food system. GMOs are usually at the top of the "do not trust" list. I usually hang back a little bit and try to decide someone's "official stance" on the GMO subject, because everyone seemingly has a stance on the matter.
Many folks are fearful of GMOs and you can't blame them. There's some really effective fear-mongering propaganda out there. To the developers of the propaganda, I tip my hat to you. Even men and women directly involved in commercial GMO grain operations are suspicious.
Many farmers are finding that the GMO conversation is taboo - sort of like politics and religion. We'd rather not talk about it to avoid upsetting someone.
If you're not exactly sure how GMOs are made,
this video does a nice job explaining. In the 1980's, genetic engineering consisted of planting corn, hand pollinating to get specific traits, selecting the strongest plants (drought tolerant, disease resistant, etc.), saving seed from those plants, replanting that seed and repeating until the desired outcome was achieved. As you could imagine, it took several years and a lot of labor!
By the 1990's modern technology knocked years off of that with a "mechanical" shooting process - literally shooting cells with certain genes! Regardless of how you feel about Monsanto, I highly recommend taking the tour to learn more about how GMOs are made.
Recognize the plant on the left? This is what the corn plant looked like originally. Lots of vegetation and very little seed. Thanks to our ancestors and genetic selection, the corn plant looks as we know it today.
The argument I usually hear against GMOs is that they aren't natural. What about cross bred cattle? Humans cross breed livestock to achieve desirable characteristics, like docility and acceptable birth weights. Are these cattle not natural? They're just as natural as you and me. This may seem like a ridiculous example but my point is, where do you draw the line? Are plants and animals not continually modifying their genetics to get stronger?
Additionally, I have yet to see a research-based study to prove that GMOs are harmful. I have seen, however, many summaries of studies stating that GMOs are safe. This message doesn't fit the media's propaganda, so we usually don't see those studies blasted on our Facebook pages.
Generally the opposition laments that other countries don't allow GMOs, so what do they know that we don't? My answer is... they're really good at fear mongering. They haven't provided the research, either.
So why not at least label so people know what they are getting? I'm not saying it won't happen some day, but why put a red flag "warning" label on something that's perfectly safe? This would also raise food prices.
Monsanto must be paying off the government, right? Why does our government allow such atrocities? This is almost always where the conversation ends because I can't prove that "big corporations" and the government are not in bed together. I do assume, however, that our government is in the business of feeding people, a world population of 9 billion by 2050. GMOs are allowing us to produce more with less area and fewer inputs (fertilizer and water).
Many of my friends know that I have a deep respect for all segments of agriculture. I absolutely love
this article from National Geographic Magazine, "Feeding 9 Billion". I think it does an excellent job talking about the need for both organic and conventional agriculture.
I always like to encourage folks to talk with their dollars. Spend locally and get hooked up with a CSA or your local farmer's market. Get to know your farmers and learn how your food is produced.
I'm looking forward to having more respectful GMO conversations in the future. Hopefully more people will speak up even when the conversation turns uncomfortable. Happy harvesting!
