This is an anti-GMO post

Genius move by Target, IMO.

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Please take the time to watch this video about Cerebral Palsy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0mrs4fpRv8

Now ask yourself why the FDA/USDA has allowed this to go as far as it has. And no, it's not to Feed the World.

WHY $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

He should be called "Ted bores"...I've tried to watch some of his other stuff an I couldn't go to sleep faster with medication!

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Come on now. You know as well as I do that he made valid points. You cannot deny an increase in food allergies, copious amounts of pesticides that are required for these crops and super weeds, at the very least. Seems you are bashing the messenger because you can't deny his message.

And since we are talking about "food" and the future of this planet, never mind the immediate future of our (very sick) children-I think catching the rest in a net of "we don't really know what else could happen" is enough to FORCE these For Profit companies to allow REAL research instead of cramming the contents of Pandora's Box down our throats.

I was trying to avoid jumping in here. I enjoy these debates, but when facts are thrown under the bus, it is hard to sit here and not say anything...

Regarding "copious amounts of pesticides that are required for these crops and super weeds", I will reiterate once again:

Less herbicide is used on gm crops than what was used before them coming on stream. And "super weeds"? What super weeds? I have no super weeds, and have grown some gm crops for almost 20 years now. I use FAR less herbicides now, and have FAR fewer weeds now, than ever before.

And MUCH MORE soil life, MUCH HIGHER soil organic matter, MUCH HEALTHIER and MORE nutrient rich soil, and MUCH HIGHER wildlife populations than before. Part of this is because I need to use FAR LESS herbicides than before gm crops.

I was going to say what Dale did.

If it is facts you want, far less dangerous, far less persistent weed herbicides are used on my farm. And of course far less insecticides, which tend to have more potential to be harmful than weed killers, is used with the insecticide gmos.

We've had weeds adapt to any type of weed control. Back when dad had me endlessly cultivate, and then hoe, the weeds adapted, and we had the super weeds that were not bothered much by light tillage. Weeds have adapted to other chemical herbicides, and if you spray a broadleaf killer, then the grasses will come on strong.

It has always been like that.

If you use salt, you poison your land, and there are weeds that thrive in a light salty soil, and will adapt. Same if you use vinegar, your weeds that don't like acid soils will die, but those that grow in acidic soils will come on stronger.

Weeds adapted to several previous herbicides that we have used in the past. They became resistant.

It has always been that way. Super weeds is a nifty saying, but they have always been around, they are just - weeds.

So I do strongly disagree with you, and him, on that portion of it.

Chemicals used on the farm are less dangerous, less persistent, and far less insecticides are used because of gmo.

I understand if you don't like gmo this makes no difference, but as to your one point, you have been wrong on that, and continue to be wrong on it, your expert is wrong on it.

I don't wish to derail your thread here, as Dale says I'm trying to play nice. But its not right for me to be quiet if something wrong is presented, and that detail is and has been wrong.

Gmo has made farms much safer with less dangerous, and less of, pesticides.

Paul

A free thinker can do a quick search on "dangers of salt in soil" and "dangers of Roundup and the likes in soil" and make up their own mind. Even form their own opinion-yet that doesn't change the facts.

Well I am certainly not going to eat gmo or farm gmo because a few people think it has made their farm more productive, I will continue to farm organic and eat organic and boycott evil Monsanto for as long as I shall live... Monstanto think they can have a monopoly on our food. Disgusting corp. they portray themselves as a wholesome company when they are just destroying the earth with gmo and round up ready! Yyyyyuuk!

Genetic modification: Seed companies fight back
Good things are coming form this technology to help with the drought areas.
http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_n...ight-back?lite

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Until the damage is obvious and irreversible, I predict that he who has the deepest pockets will rule the day.

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“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

That's sort of the rub, isn't it?

We can either live with GMO produce, OR we can live with pesticides and chemicals running off farms and into our drinking water.

I believe the real culprit is simply large-scale agriculture. An acre of tomatoes can be worked by hand with no need for chemicals. 200 acres of tomatoes requires chemicals. The problem is that we, as a civilization, are trying to produce in unnatural ways and that creates problems. Vast tracts of monoculture only exist in the minds of men. You can't find it anywhere in nature.

So long as we're stuck with big agriculture, I actually prefer the GMO. I can easily avoid GMO food in the grocery stores (don't shop there) and much of the food I grow in my gardens is not financially lucrative for people to modify, so my own seedstock can remain pure. I am also geographically isolated enough that nobody else's GMO plants are going to cross-breed with mine. One of the many reasons why I chose this location for a homestead.

So all of the problems of GMO are problems I can avoid. The problems of large scale agriculture WITHOUT GMO are difficult for me to avoid ... toxic runoff into the groundwater, death of honeybees and other pollinators, deadly rains, cancer-causing chemicals drifting in the air, etc.

I bet you didn't think you'd ever see Ernie arguing for GMO.

The thing is, some of us are just trying to survive until the collapse comes and many of these industrial age problems end. GMO actually makes it easier for me to do that as the problems it creates really only impact people who depend on it, whereas the problems from toxic pesticides and such impact everyone.

Of course there's still the problem of genetically modifying plants so that they can survive the toxic bath of poisons that the fields are soaked in ... that's the worst of both worlds.

Toxic bath of poisons? Explain???

Roundup and a hundred other herbicides. I really needed to explain that?

Yet another thread by non-farmers telling what farmers do, but when a real farmer posts the truth he is attacked. Sad.....

Lucky me. I live right in the middle of the "toxic bath of poisons". Our land was once cropland, originally farmed with mule and plow in the 1840's, all the way up to the 1980's farming methods. Then it was put into pasture. The land on all sides of us is still farmed, corn and soybeans.

I guess some of you think it would be a sterile wasteland because it is farmed with modern methods. I can assure you, it's not. All kinds of wildlife are here, including the aquatic and semi-aquatic kinds who are so sensitive to chemicals. We have so many darn toads it is hard not to step on them or run over them pulling in the driveway. Every drainage canal and body of water is full of frogs, tadpoles and fish. Blue herons stalk those waters, hunting them. We see deer, coyotes, foxes, skunks, possums, badgers, snakes, turtles, all kinds of birds. Belts of trees and brush grow between the tilled fields. It is a vibrant living landscape, not a toxic dead zone.

Y'all can believe stuff you see on the internet all you want to. I'll believe what I see with my own eyes and my own experience. What every "anti-GMO" activist seems to ignore is, farming today is much less toxic than in years gone by. Less chemicals used and in lesser amounts. Right now, all over the world in R & D labs, the next generation of crops and ag chemicals is already under development. It should be even better than the current GMO and roundup ready systems.

It would be wonderful if every family in the world had a plot of land and could produce their own foodstuff in the most natural and healthy way. Sorry, folks, it will never happen. Those of us who live on some land and produce food for ourselves are very fortunate. Let's just be glad we are so fortunate instead of wishing for the downfall of the food system for everybody else.

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It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
Laura Ingalls Wilder

Non-farmers eat what farmers grow and anything that affects a nation's food supply is going to be met with strong opinions from both sides of the debate.

Maybe off topic, but here goes.

I somehow ended up with wild turnips in my garden. I did not put them there & have no idea how they came to be. For the past 2-3 years I have tried to pull them, till them, etc. to get them out of my garden. No such luck. They were solid in there. My garden did not do well because of this. These were not small plants either.

This spring I took round-up & sprayed my entire garden. Yes, I killed every one of those dreadful plants. I am not worried about it affecting my food. Round-up kills only what it is sprayed on. I still had other weeds coming up in the garden before we plowed & got it ready to plant. The round-up didn't manage to get down to the ground to kill those plants, so I am not too worried about it harming my soil at this point.

The fact is, we can not grow enough to feed eveyone without some modifications. There are not enough small farms to feed the world's population. It simply cannot be done.

Perhaps this is why we have so many allergies & so much cancer. Maybe not. Could be all the pollutions put into the air by more cars & more factories. Could be a lot of things. Could just be bad genetics from people having kids with just anyone instead of finding out beforehand of any health problems. Could be people having kids with close relation they don't even know about because so many don't even know who their father is anymore. If you don't know who your dad is, you wouldn't know if someone was your relative. Inbreeding in animals causes a lot of problems. It sometimes takes years for it to show up. Might be the same for humans.

The thing is, if you don't like GMO products, don't buy them. Grow your own. Unless you grow your own you will never know 100% what is in your food or put on it. For most people they can't do that, so modifications need to be used that allow farmers to grow enough to feed everyone. You may not like it, but most people don't give it a second thought. The ones that do try to grow their own or find other options.

My guess is the people that you need to convince of the evils of GMO are not going to be on this board. The people on boards like this already know, that's why we raise our own food. The people that you need to convince are not on this board & will not likely see this & will not likely care. All they care about is that there is food in the store when they go to buy it. If we were to try to do it without GMO foods, the store shelves would likely be a little bare because farmers could not keep up with the demand if the newer ways were not being used. You might not like it, but it is a fact of life.

I also do not like when false information is given. I have been told numerous times of the horrors of "factory eggs". I grew up on a farm with 30,000 laying hens & I can tell you a lot of what is spouted is just not true. The care of those layers was high on my dad's list because that is how he made a living. Unless you farm on a big scale you simply will never understand how a lot of that stuff works. You might glean info from the internet, but most of that is just someone pushing their own agenda.

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I can't believe I deleted it!

So when I "bathe" my fields, do you have any idea about how much is sprayed? Give me the glyphosate rate for canola. The rate for clodinofp? The rate for clethodim.

Just curious at these bathing rates???

I am a farmer and grew up on a farm So I am not the person who goes to the store and buys crap with no awareness. I also am for labelling of GMO.. I mean you would want to know if you were eating poison right? If you guys think that roundup ready is the best thing since sliced bread I urge you to watch this documentary about Monsanto. The evil (deleted ) are really destroying livelihoods and the concept of purchasing/growing organic foods..

I still don't understand why we don't have a Thread just for GMO. Needs to be right next to politics so any/every one will be in the mood for an argument and bashing, no need for the truth then. Of course this.... all tongue in cheek....NOT....James