Genetically Engineered Seed Company C.E.O. Buys Organic

Written by Adam Shake

The most interesting part of an interview between Hybrid Seed Company Monsanto’s C.E.O Hugh Grant and National Public Radio’s Kai Ryssdal came during the last five seconds.

Quote:

Ryssdal: Do you ever buy organic food yourself?

Grant: Yeah, I do. Yeah.

But I’m putting the cart before the horse.

Monsanto sells seeds to farmers.  But these aren’t just any seeds. The Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world’s leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed as “Roundup“. Monsanto is also by far the leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed, holding 70%–100% market share for various crops.

Why do we need Genetically Engineered Seed?  Because as Hugh Grant puts it, the worlds population is increasing and there are only a certain number of acres that can be farmed.

The thought is that as the world population expands, there is not enough land to grow the food to feed the planet, so technology must come up with ways to increase the yield per acre.  The only way to get more bushels of corn out of an acre of soil is to change the genetic makeup of the plant so that it will do a number of things, from killing the insects that eat it to accepting more of the fertilizer that is sprayed on it.

At the same time that we are increasing the yield, it would be nice if we could make the farmers dependent on our seed, wouldn’t it?  After all, we don’t want the plants that they grow, to grow seeds themselves because then the farmers could use those seeds to plant new crops.  So Monasto has introduced something called a Terminator Gene.  Cindy Eby, with Mlive.com writes “Roundup Ready crops allow for the increased application of Roundup — a chemical associated with birth defects and attention- deficit disorders.

The Terminator gene assures Monsanto’s repeat business. It makes seeds infertile. So, imagine a rice plant flowering: The wind, bees and birds spread the pollen to our wild grasses. The seeds that develop will be sterile, so the next generation of ground cover disappears from the landscape.”

What this means is that genetically Engineered seeds self destruct after on planting. Farmers in third world countries must then continue to depend of Foreign companies like Monsanto for their seeds.  Yes that right, Monsanto owns the patents to the food that the world eats.

In addition, John Russel with Indystar.com writes, “Dow and partner Monsanto are working to produce a super seed with eight genetic traits to fight pests and weed killers on multiple fronts, significantly more than the three traits now available on genetically modified seeds . Dow is counting on the eight-gene combination, called SmartStax, to help it gain market share at the expense of larger competitors, including Pioneer Hi-Bred, AgReliant Genetics and Syngenta.

It’s part of the explosion in biotech crops that is sweeping the world. Of the 6.5 million acres of corn grown in Indiana last year, 59 percent is the biotech variety, up from 40 percent in 2006, according to the Agriculture Department. Of the 4.7 million acres of soybeans grown in Indiana last year, 94 percent are biotech, up from 92 percent.”

These seeds grow crops that kill insects, thereby taking out a piece of the food chain that effects everything from birds to mammals to fish.  At the same time, the increased use of chemicals like “Roundup” sterilize the soil and wash into creeks, stream, rivers and the ocean. (This is what is causing the dead zone in the gulf of Mexico.)

You may be saying “O.K., so GM seeds are bad, but what can we do?  We have to grow more food, right?”

Well yes and no. Monsanto would have us believe that there is no alternative.  But lets point out a few facts that they don’t want you to think about.

• Most of the corn grown in this country goes toward the creation of High Fructose Corn Syrup.  When I drive by a field of corn, I don’t see corn on the cob.  I see bottles of soda, boxes of cereal, ready made frozen dinners…..
• Americans love their beef.  Beef growers feed the beef corn, because it makes them fatten up faster so they can be slaughtered at a younger age.  The corn makes the cows sick because it’s not their natural diet, so the cows are pumped with Antibiotics from the day they are born.  It takes 15  pounds of corn to get 1 pound of hamburger.
• Americans throw away as much produce as they eat.
• The land that is being used to farm corn for E85 (Corn Ethanol) should be used to grow real food for real people.

If we cut back on High Fructose Corn Syrup foods and drinks, cut back on the beef, quite throwing away food (or quite buying more than we can eat before it goes bad) and invested the E85 money into gas electric or solar, we could use about half the current acreage to grow real food for real people. We could also invest in vertical farming.

The whole thing can be wrapped up with the following statement.  Hugh Grant, the CEO of the worlds largest and most powerful Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Seed Company, buys Organic Produce.

Enough Said.

Alter the Eco and keep up the good fight,

Adam


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Related posts:

1. Monsanto Seed Company Sues Farmer After its Seeds Blow Into His Field, Genetically Altering His Crop
2. MIT: Genetically Engineered Viruses Build Green Lithium-Ion Batteries
3. USDA: No Environmental Impact Study Needed to Deregulate Genetically Modified Corn