LJ Idol season 8, Week 16, Re-inventing the wheel
How would you like to eat a nice genetically modified steak? If you live in the United States such a thing could be on its way. The worst part, is that because of U.S. labeling laws, you wouldn’t even know the food you were consuming had been genetically modified.
The Food and Drug Administration is about to approve genetically modified salmon. They would be the first modified meat source to hit U.S. markets. Genetically altered to produce growth hormones at alarming rates, the fish will grow twice as fast, thus allowing them to hit the shelves in record time. We have labeling that tells us if salmon are farm raised or wild caught, but nothing to protect us from eating the genetically modified fish, at least not yet.
Genetic modification has been going on for a long time, with Monsanto Corporation as its probable leader. When round up ready corn hit the market farmers bought it up like it was the best thing since the invention of the first tractor. Being able to resist pesticides and thrive and grow into healthy, robust corn rows, the corn was very popular. Soon Monsanto began creating crops that wouldn’t go to seed. Farmers could have their pesticide resistant crops, but at a cost, they could not hold back seed for the next growing season. With many U.S. farmers fighting to make a living these large corporation tactics weren’t helping. Many farmers were taking out loans to buy seed, thus setting them back financially before they even had a crop in the ground.
Slowly we’re putting the family farmer out of business as large corporations take over. They can buy the seeds they need each year, the corresponding pesticides, the fuel for the acres and acres of tractor running they will do to maintain the crops. All this while Americans buy the cheap alternative, the genetically modified, conventionally grown, pesticide laden foods. Organic is too expensive, most people will say, but what cost will we pay in the end. What are we doing to our children and what are we leaving for future generations?
Now we have seed labs which store seeds of things like corn and rice just in case we need them again. They are kept like precious antiques as genetically modified seeds take over the world. These original seeds are so valuable that they are well guarded. What have we done to warrant the safe keeping of seeds my great grandfather used on his North Dakota farm?
I’m no better than the next guy. I can’t always afford organic, but I choose it whenever I can. I also try to support local farms whenever possible by shopping at farmers’ markets and buying local produce from the grocery stores. It’s easy for us to sit back and expect this problem to go away, or to hope that those closer to the issue will solve the problem. The truth is, there is no one closer to the issue than us, the consumers. What will we allow? What risks are we willing to take? How long will we allow this to go on?
We’ve learned that BST hormones are no good for the health of dairy cows and the health of milk. Many farms now boast that their dairy products are hormone free. We also see that we can buy chicken and other meats that are hormone free, but as far as genetic modification, there’s just no labeling to help us. Something more needs to be done.
For now, I’m at least glad I don’t eat salmon, but I wonder what will be modified next. I also wonder if I’ll even know. Without keeping a close eye pealed to what goes on in the agricultural industry I never would have known about any of this at all. I think it’s time for all of us to pay close attention though, it’s our lives, and the lives of our future generations we risk if we turn away and make it someone else’s problem. What’s good enough for my grandparents is good enough for me, and I’d love to see a switch back to heirloom varieties of plants whenever possible.
The Food and Drug Administration is about to approve genetically modified salmon. They would be the first modified meat source to hit U.S. markets. Genetically altered to produce growth hormones at alarming rates, the fish will grow twice as fast, thus allowing them to hit the shelves in record time. We have labeling that tells us if salmon are farm raised or wild caught, but nothing to protect us from eating the genetically modified fish, at least not yet.
Genetic modification has been going on for a long time, with Monsanto Corporation as its probable leader. When round up ready corn hit the market farmers bought it up like it was the best thing since the invention of the first tractor. Being able to resist pesticides and thrive and grow into healthy, robust corn rows, the corn was very popular. Soon Monsanto began creating crops that wouldn’t go to seed. Farmers could have their pesticide resistant crops, but at a cost, they could not hold back seed for the next growing season. With many U.S. farmers fighting to make a living these large corporation tactics weren’t helping. Many farmers were taking out loans to buy seed, thus setting them back financially before they even had a crop in the ground.
Slowly we’re putting the family farmer out of business as large corporations take over. They can buy the seeds they need each year, the corresponding pesticides, the fuel for the acres and acres of tractor running they will do to maintain the crops. All this while Americans buy the cheap alternative, the genetically modified, conventionally grown, pesticide laden foods. Organic is too expensive, most people will say, but what cost will we pay in the end. What are we doing to our children and what are we leaving for future generations?
Now we have seed labs which store seeds of things like corn and rice just in case we need them again. They are kept like precious antiques as genetically modified seeds take over the world. These original seeds are so valuable that they are well guarded. What have we done to warrant the safe keeping of seeds my great grandfather used on his North Dakota farm?
I’m no better than the next guy. I can’t always afford organic, but I choose it whenever I can. I also try to support local farms whenever possible by shopping at farmers’ markets and buying local produce from the grocery stores. It’s easy for us to sit back and expect this problem to go away, or to hope that those closer to the issue will solve the problem. The truth is, there is no one closer to the issue than us, the consumers. What will we allow? What risks are we willing to take? How long will we allow this to go on?
We’ve learned that BST hormones are no good for the health of dairy cows and the health of milk. Many farms now boast that their dairy products are hormone free. We also see that we can buy chicken and other meats that are hormone free, but as far as genetic modification, there’s just no labeling to help us. Something more needs to be done.
For now, I’m at least glad I don’t eat salmon, but I wonder what will be modified next. I also wonder if I’ll even know. Without keeping a close eye pealed to what goes on in the agricultural industry I never would have known about any of this at all. I think it’s time for all of us to pay close attention though, it’s our lives, and the lives of our future generations we risk if we turn away and make it someone else’s problem. What’s good enough for my grandparents is good enough for me, and I’d love to see a switch back to heirloom varieties of plants whenever possible.