I read about this fella, Mark Lynas, in the High Plains Journal last night, and have since read a few more articles about him. Apparently, he has decided that scientific research, and not opinion or belief in an ideology, is pretty important when it comes to our worldwide food supply.
This is the High Plains Journal editorial, written by Holly Martin:
http://www.hpj.com/archives/2013/jan13/jan21/0115EditMR21_hmsr.cfm
These are a few more articles, including Lynas addressing his change in opinion at the Oxford Farming Conference:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/01/03/mark_lynas_environmentalist_who_opposed_gmos_admits_he_was_wrong.html
http://www.npr.org/2013/01/20/169847199/former-anti-gmo-activist-says-science-changed-his-mind?ft=1&f=1001
http://www.newser.com/story/161321/anti-gmo-crusader-i-was-wrong.html
The most interesting thing to me is reading the comments posted after these articles. It seems that a lot of consumers have more of a problem with Monsanto and their business practices instead of the actual things that they produce. That's interesting to me, because I always assumed people thought that GMO crops were horrible and would cause us all to die cruel and unusual deaths.
Look, not all farmers like Monsanto's business practices, either. I, for one, am doing all I can to distance myself from that company. The reason we continue to buy from them? It's easy. I have never, ever, ever heard one person say that they really like Wal-Mart and love shopping there, but it's easy. It's kind of the same thing for us. We can go to one place and get all of the crop technology we need, and it's cheaper and easier to produce food. Isn't that the point, anyway? Protect our bottom line and produce as much food as we can?
If people want to buy organic food, more power to them. I am not producing organically, so you are not my market, and I won't waste time trying to convince you to change your mind. But what Americans need to remember, or to learn in the first place, is that American farmers aren't just feeding you - we export to the world. It's not all about you, American consumer. There are others in need, and I can only guess here, but I am betting that they don't care whether or not their food is genetically altered. They just want to eat.
I thought you would get a comment on this one.
ReplyDeleteI have really come to appreciate the anti-GMO crowd. For the previous two years I have been providing myself with a winter income by making soy-free and corn-free pig and chicken feed.
As someone who raises corn for silage I have come to hate Monsanto due to the lack of choices for seed. Our neighbors grow sweetcorn and we must keep an isolation of distance or time from their corn. Not really legally but because we try to be good neighbors. Any trace of GMO will result in sweet corn shipments being denied.
Which brings me to my other observation that doesn't quite match my arguments.
It is what consumers demand. It doesn't matter if they are crazy or not, if they want nonGMO alfalfa then I want to be the one to give them that alfalfa.
I started out in favor of GMO and as I got more experience with GMO and the main company promoting it I have gone anti.
That being said, the anti-GMO establishment are somewhat evil. It seems to me to be more of a fight between big money than an issue of what is right and what is good for the consumer.
I think your last statement is extremely accurate, and if you watch the guy's speech, he kind of echos that sentiment. It seems to be more of a haves vs. have-nots. I am in favor of GMOs as far as worldwide food production is concerned. I am not a fan of Monsanto. So, I'm a fence straddler, I guess. I have great respect for those that produce organically, or non-GMO, but I feel like that is still a pretty specialized market. Or maybe I'm too dumb to know otherwise. Thanks for the comment!
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