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Dow’s new GE corn would rely on toxic 2,4-D herbicide
In the brave new world of bio-tech agriculture, the big pesticide/herbicide makers have argued for years that their genetic seed inventions would reduce the use of chemicals.
It made sense, to argue for that. Almost everyone agrees that our health and the environment would benefit from reduced pesticide use. And Americans react strongly when they find their food has been compromised by chemicals. Think of the Alar apple scare, or the more recent outcry over strawberries doused with methyl iodide, a fumigant suspected of causing cancer.
Chemical companies tapped into citizen concern about pesticides by promising they could engineer corn and soybeans to resist certain “safer” chemicals, such as Monsanto’s Roundup. That would reduce environmental harm and give farmers a break, because they could use Roundup whenever they wanted without fear of harming their crops. They’d get higher yields with little downside, because the Roundup would biodegrade, and America would feed the world….
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Tags: · 2, 4-D, Beyond Pesticides, chemical farming, Cornucopia Institute, Dow AgroSciences, GE corn, GE crops, GE soybeans, genetically altered food, genetically modified food, Organic Farming
How genetically modified alfalfa threatens organic milk
February 4th, 2011 · 1 Comment
Organic milk, which has won strong consumer support in recent years, is being put at risk by the government’s recent decision to deregulate genetically engineered alfalfa, says the president of one of the nation’s most successful organic dairies.
Albert Straus, president of the Straus Family Creamery in California, says that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ruling allowing genetically modified alfalfa to be planted anywhere “will deprive consumers of their right to be certain that they are feeding organic food to their families.”
Alfalfa is a key food for dairy cows, and unless cows are fed an organic diet, their milk cannot qualify to be Organically certified. Alfalfa, the fourth most-planted crop in the nation, could be changed forever if GE varieties are planted across the U.S., Straus says in a statement today.
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Tags: · alfalfa, California, deregulation, GE crops, GM crops, GMO foods, greenrightnow.com, Monsanto, non GMO foods, seed drift, Straus Family Creamery, USDA
Health, food and farm groups unite against Monsanto’s newly approved GE alfalfa
February 1st, 2011 · 2 Comments
Organic farmers, food companies and advocacy groups have united to oppose the federal government’s de-regulation of Monsanto’s genetically engineered alfalfa.
A new 20-group coalition announced Tuesday that it also would be opposing the regulatory release of other types of GE (also known as GM or genetically modified) crops expected in the coming months if the USDA approves the unrestricted planting of GE sugar beets, corn and soy crops.
These crops have been engineered predominantly by Monsanto to resist specific Monsanto-created pesticides, including the “Roundup Ready” alfalfa, which was approved for unrestricted planting by the USDA last week.
Organic farmers fear the spread of GE crops because they’re dependent on pesticides, which harm the soil and waterways, and because they can contaminate non=GE crops via cross-pollination. When GE crops invade organically raised fields, they destroy the purity of organic row crops and produce and can cost a farmer his organic certification.
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Tags: · alfalfa, Allergy Kids, beets, Beyond Pesticides, Center for Food Safety, contamination of organic crops, corn, Equal Exchange, Eric Schlosser, GE crops, GE foods, greenrightnow.com, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners, Maria Rodale, Michael Pollan, Monsanto, Monsanto chemicals, National Cooperative Grocers Association, NOFA, Non-GMO Project, Organic Farming, Organic Farming Research Association, Organic Seed Alliance, Organic Trade Association, Organic Valley, Robert Kenner, soybeans, Stonyfield Farm, United Natural Foods, USDA
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