Forum editorial: Sugar seed injunction real threat

Roger C.
Fargo, ND     03/06/2010 4:50 PM

The real problem with GM crops is that they have been modified to produce their own herbicides and insecticides. These crops indiscriminately kills beneficial insects and even nearby normal crops in adjacent fields. The product of these GM crops are the stuff you eat. ~~ Another problem with crops such as corn, wheat and barley is that the pollen is blown by the wind, often across very large areas. ~~ This pollin contaminates crops on non-GM farms growing normal or even organic food. ~~ Monsanto thinks this is a good thing, as they then go after farmers in court for illegally growing GM crops when the farmers thinks they are growing normal crops, but have had their crops contaminated by GM pollen without their knowledge. GM crops need to be outlawed for the known damage they do to our environment, to say nothing of what we don't know they do to us when ingested.

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Glen M.
West Fargo, ND     03/06/2010 12:26 PM

Sure, distroy round-up ready seeds. The farmer will then have to quickly switch to other herbicides and spay multiple passes using more chemical and fuel therefore we'll have more CO2 and toxins in our enviroment. I'd much rather have Glyphosate then Atrazine or other older chemicals.

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Delbert M.
Forbes, ND     03/06/2010 7:47 AM

I'm stunned by the amount of ignorance of how modern agriculture actually works shown by comments on the glyphosate issue. Glyphosate (roundup) began as a non-selective herbicide that with a small amount of active ingredient that killed all emerged crop growth and then was immediately broken down to have no further effect. Various crops have since been genetically modified to be immune to glyphosate. The result has been less total application of herbicides in general and those which persist in particular. The great bulk of corn and soybeans grown are glyphosate resistant because they are much more profitable. "Organic" crops are no more nutritious nor safe to eat than others. They are a lot more expensive to produce. Widespread replacement of conventional modern agriculture with organic production would vastly increase food costs and make food unaffordable to millions of Americans. Modern agriculture has increased national average corn yields from less than 50 bushels/acre in 1945 to 150 bushels today. Similar changes have taken place in most other crops. Much of this increase has been due to the plant breeding efforts of the commercial companies which many of you apparently despise. Delbert Moore

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Jake G.
Fargo, ND     03/05/2010 11:08 PM

Wow, a lot of commenters need to base their opinions on something more than the movie Food Inc which is an hour and a half of biased half-reporting with no science to back it up. Here's a wakeup call: We've been genetically modifying plants, animals, microbes for decades! It's just now we have the technology to fine-tune it. You are not going to grow a third eye from eating product from GMOs. EVERY study has shown NO difference in the end value (we actually see improvements in nutrient profiles thru engineering). OH NO! A company spends billions of dollars researching and developing a new product that will save money, energy, and quite possibly LIVES and they decide not to just give it away for free? It's a BUSINESS! They need to recoup development costs! You want us to produce enough food to feed the 21st century using technology from the 1800s... IT WONT WORK! Engage your brains and do some research before you condemn people and an industry. These are normal people trying to get by, not demons trying to kill your children, they're your friends, neighbors. As far as obesity and health problems... take some personal responsibility for your lives instead of blaming everybody else. Before your food hits your waistline, it sits in your hand. It's YOUR responsibility, accept it!

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Nan C.
03/05/2010 10:49 PM

GMO's are not good for your long term health. Check out Seeds of Deception by Jeffrey Smith.

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winton b.
03/05/2010 7:06 PM

The genetically modified seeds from Monsanto will get everyone in trouble. They look so good for weed control at first; then weeds become immune; then Monsanto raises the prices so the farmers costs are too high; next, people will discover belatedly other hidden problems. Then Ag Colleges quit working on new varieties of seeds so everyone in now captive to monsanto and their seeds so you have no choice. Already, Chem Cos have stopped work on new weed control as Roundup is everything--for now, but maybe not later.

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J S.
Moorhead, MN     03/05/2010 6:40 PM

Dave the Progressive G. - actually this time I agree with you. Most people really should look at what their food is doing to them. Yeah we have some of the cheapest food in the world because it is garbage. Why do you think you have to eat 6 serving a day of veggies? This first of all makes anybody fat but the most important point is that one or 2 servings don't contain enough nutrients for a human. Why? Because majority of the makeup is junk. 200 years ago a person could eat one maybe two servings and get every nutrient they needed from the food group. Not any more. You have to eat 6, 8, 10,a day. Then the leaders of the USA want to know why everyone is obese.

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J S.
Moorhead, MN     03/05/2010 6:36 PM

he benefits have proven to make people rich at the expense of unhealthy people. Our food supply is so tainted with junk like round up ready and other pesticides and is one of the main reasons as Americans we have some of the most unhealthy people in the world. Anybody that has health issues and have dived into researching the causes will tell you this. Farmers get a clue. Stop growing junk. Grow food that is good like it was 200 years ago. When you eat a tomato it should actually taste like a tomatoe and not some wax piece of junk.

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Dave A.
Moorhead, MN     03/05/2010 5:10 PM

Genetically modified plants are going to be the future regardless of how much many like it. There are more and more people to feed and less land to produce it on. Plants that need less and less care are going to have to balance out the costs of production such as fuel, insurances, and many other things. I prefer organic but I'm also a realist.

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Anne K.
Fargo, ND     03/05/2010 1:47 PM

This kind of seed is banned in Europe and most developed countries - but here we find it acceptable to grow products that no one else would buy due to their concerns. Hmm....

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