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What questions do you have about GMOs?


Rebel Rose

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I use it around my yard and in the garden to beat back invasive weeds. I use Sevin (which is a pesticide) in my vegetable garden to get the drop on invasive pests, as well. I'm not growing vegetables for cutworms to eat, after all.

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It would mess with your neutral POV, but I would be interested to see note taken of the disregard of empirical evidence by the anti-GMO crowd. The debunked and retracted rat study is but one that is constantly touted as The Truth! about GMOs.

This attitude of disregarding science in favor of opinion is a dangerous trend. I see it often on organic blogs and it is distressing.

Yes, as I indicated in the OP, I do take a stand against hysteria, hyperbole and hypocrisy. I'm also including brief profiles of 5 or 6 high-profile anti-GMO personalities and basically debunking them. This will probably make me unpopular with the anti-GMO crowd, but I believe that truth, integrity and authenticity make for a stronger position whether you are for or against GMO's. Also, I object to children and youth being fed lies, propanganda and hate speech about food and farmers.

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Mary Baker

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There is evidence of horizontal gene transfer in the gut. The bacteria trade genes back and forth. Maybe this is good, but what if we inadvertently make it bad? My concern, related to dcarch's, is what if all the GMO stuff transfers genes to our bodies that are harmful? I have read that studies (true?) show that genes related to antibiotic resistance show up in people who have not taken the antibiotics in question, but are otherwise exposed. If something goes wrong and the genes in GMO food somehow express differently in humans, how do we take it back? If the study of gut microbiome is in its infancy, and the effects on our health are seemingly profound, of what value is the research done by the "top experts"?

I am willing to be convinced, but only by someone I trust. There were 3 people I trusted in my former profession, and all were marginalized by the "top experts".

I don't want to get into too many areas that don't already have some verifiable information, but I do explain that the transferred genes come from common soil bacteria that are all around us and exist within us already. (I am also a firm believer in keeping one's gut bacteria happy and healthy!)

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Mary Baker

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My concerns regarding GMO's are the following:

-The direct link between GMO and "Roundup", can one exist without the other?

-Can a farmer generate his own seed with last year's crop, or is s/he dependant on the mnfctr for providing him/her with next year's crop seed?

Yes, Roundup has been used for decades on regular crops, and as others have commented, has also been used by home gardeners. It is considered the safest of all herbicides available on the market, barring perhaps citrus-based ones but even those are so concentrated they require protective gear during application. Over a dozen people have tried to commit suicide by drinking Roundup or other glyphosate-based herbicides (god knows why, because the surfactants make it sweet, I suppose) and all but one failed. Dogs have eaten glyphosate crystals (Labs will eat anything) and survived.

Yes, small and mid-size farmers can and sometimes do grow crop for seed, but the process of hulling and sifting the crop is laborious and requires special equipment, so it is more cost-effective to buy seed from agribusinesses who specialize in crop propagation. Specialists also have the laboratories to test seed and assure quality, and they have proper storage protocols to assure the seed does not get moldy or infected during storage.

You may be interested to know that GMO seed is more expensive, and growing a GMO crop is entirely optional on the part of the farmer. Seed, water, fuel, chemicals and labor are the top 5 production inputs for most grain crop farmers. So if the cost of seed goes up dramatically, the farmer has to figure out how to reduce one of the other inputs and/or increase productivity.

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Mary Baker

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It would mess with your neutral POV, but I would be interested to see note taken of the disregard of empirical evidence by the anti-GMO crowd. The debunked and retracted rat study is but one that is constantly touted as The Truth! about GMOs.

This attitude of disregarding science in favor of opinion is a dangerous trend. I see it often on organic blogs and it is distressing.

Yes, as I indicated in the OP, I do take a stand against hysteria, hyperbole and hypocrisy. I'm also including brief profiles of 5 or 6 high-profile anti-GMO personalities and basically debunking them. This will probably make me unpopular with the anti-GMO crowd, but I believe that truth, integrity and authenticity make for a stronger position whether you are for or against GMO's. Also, I object to children and youth being fed lies, propanganda and hate speech about food and farmers.

Sounds good. I'm a strong believer in looking at the science and not at the hype, as well. Naturally, this has put me at odds with those who wish to return to "the good old days" which only exist in imagination as regards both farming and health, specifically vaccinations for humans. There is no talking to the scientifically illiterate who having not reasoned themselves into their positions are not able to be reasoned out of them. Persons who are willing to learn, are a different story, of course.

Best of luck in your endeavors.

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My concerns regarding GMO's are the following:

-The direct link between GMO and "Roundup", can one exist without the other?

-Can a farmer generate his own seed with last year's crop, or is s/he dependant on the mnfctr for providing him/her with next year's crop seed?

Yes, Roundup has been used for decades on regular crops, and as others have commented, has also been used by home gardeners. It is considered the safest of all herbicides available on the market, barring perhaps citrus-based ones but even those are so concentrated they require protective gear during application. Over a dozen people have tried to commit suicide by drinking Roundup or other glyphosate-based herbicides (god knows why, because the surfactants make it sweet, I suppose) and all but one failed. Dogs have eaten glyphosate crystals (Labs will eat anything) and survived.

Yes, small and mid-size farmers can and sometimes do grow crop for seed, but the process of hulling and sifting the crop is laborious and requires special equipment, so it is more cost-effective to buy seed from agribusinesses who specialize in crop propagation. Specialists also have the laboratories to test seed and assure quality, and they have proper storage protocols to assure the seed does not get moldy or infected during storage.

You may be interested to know that GMO seed is more expensive, and growing a GMO crop is entirely optional on the part of the farmer. Seed, water, fuel, chemicals and labor are the top 5 production inputs for most grain crop farmers. So if the cost of seed goes up dramatically, the farmer has to figure out how to reduce one of the other inputs and/or increase productivity.

Thank you.

My background is from the Canadian praries, so I am familiar with GMO's, round up, and lawsuits.

Some more questions then,

Are there then, some GMO crops that are formulated that can not, will not, bear seed?

Are there some GMO crops that are formulated so they MUST be used with round-up, or the plant will not reach maturation?

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Some do, some don't. Depends on the crop and the specific variety.

No. No GMO crops are dependent on Roundup. In fact, you can use GMO seed and farm organically. The crop can't be certified organic, is all. (Good question, though! Mind if I use it?)

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Mary Baker

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thank you for the input everyone!

 

Book pre-orders (including $5 epub copies) are available on Kickstarter until April 30th.

 

You may also view excerpts from the book:  Preamble    Introduction   Table of Contents

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Mary Baker

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Just wondering if you address the issue of GMO lectins as natural pesticides in your book?

I wasn't going to because there didn't seem to be much interest in that specific thread, but now I am thinking I will include a few paragraphs at least, with references to more reading as I think it may be something of interest that is just coming over the horizon as far as public awareness.  There doesn't seem to be much research available yet.  Can you suggest some good sources of information?  Do  you have an opinion one way or the other?

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Mary Baker

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I wasn't going to because there didn't seem to be much interest in that specific thread, but now I am thinking I will include a few paragraphs at least, with references to more reading as I think it may be something of interest that is just coming over the horizon as far as public awareness.  There doesn't seem to be much research available yet.  Can you suggest some good sources of information?  Do  you have an opinion one way or the other?

Sorry, I can't point to any peer-reviewed literature that reviews the link between lectins and inflammation.

 

GMOs do not scare me in general (particularly those that focus on nutrient improvement, and to some degree, round-up ready, beyond the "evil" that everyone assumes of Monsanto), but the overexpression of lectins for pest management is (and probably should be) concerning. 

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  • 1 year later...

True-believers are never interested in facts.

 

I wonder how many anti-GMO* activists are anti-vaccine too.

 

* I do not mean those of us who have reservations about GMO ecological impact or the legal maneuverings of GMO producers.

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