Monsanto

[ado089]

Unfortunately ignorance is not a choice
and far too many people make these
decisions based on dogma and propaganda.
Those choices not only cause undo stress
to those of us that work our asses off
to feed the world but also millions of
people that would benefit from higher
producing crops or in the case of rice,
GE to produce more vitamin A saving
thousands of children from blindness.
This issue is quickly dancing on a whole
new ethical debate.

[parsley]

There are a few issues I see arising for farmers
that I will pit in Agriville's coffeetable this
morning, albeit an unwelcome contribution.

1. Wheat Belly (yes, I recognize my redundancy)
prompted media rapport with it's message;
hence, bakeries and manufactureres are sourcing
alternate grains, while premiun wheat sales will
continue to trend downwards. That is not good
financially, for farmers. You are spending money
on new wheat varieties, which profits breeders
and marketers, but does nothing for sales to
bakeries who won't buy your wheat. Your money
would be better spent in finding out WHY
consumers are avoiding wheat and wheat
products so the exercise is not repeated, and
replaced buy a newer model with a different
color. But still faulty. Consider the words:
allergens. Celiacs. Bowel syndrome

To not do so, means farmers will watch their
markets dwindle. parsley

[parsley]

Ado, what you call ignorance is what I call
rejection. and I also reject the
Blindkid/starvingAfrican plea. Poor people cannot
afford to buy the food you offer at a pricey-price.

Nor can Canada any longer afford to subsidize
what you grow.

And the rich people who can afford to buy what
you grow, are rejecting what you grow.

Facts are difficult to deal with. Rather like waking
up in the morning, sobering up, and discovering
she really is an ugly, ugly bitch. Parsley

[rkaiser]

All about choice folks.

If you chose to believe you are feeding a world lacking food. Your choice. More than enough to go around, especially if we don't waste it.

If you choose to think you are helping society in some other way. Your choice. However, give those people a choice as well and label your product.

So many rules in place for labeling "natural" or "organic" products, however each time a new chemical is used on food it is simply labeled "safe".

Label your grain or the products produced by your grain.

I actually like this whole chem farming thing for those of you who have no fear. More than enough food on the planet now and for the estimated 9 billion where every study says we will top out. So grow your chem crops. Once the labeling is done, people will choose the naturally grown products and you can create fuel for the tractors on the Organic land. Brilliant.

Forge on Bravely

[parsley]

if Monsanto wants to modify a crop so that you
are able to urinate out of your ear (hyperbole), so
be it: as long as Monsanto takes responsibility for
the any unintended consequences which accrue
from their invention.

If this article is true:

http://rt.com/usa/toxic-study-gmo-corn-900/

It appears that Monsanto can hatch any horror,
but owes human beings, and the world, no
acountability, no compensation, no
discontinuance, no morality, and no sense of
decency.

Monsanto has worked diligently to get exemption
from any responsibility. Pars.

[sumdumguy]

The truth as I see it has nothing to do with the
hungry people in the world. It has everything to
do with bottom line. If it was true, the producers
would be giving grain away, all winter long. They
would ship and distribute to the needy.
Meanwhile the food that I feed my grandchildren
may be loaded with poison, because the
government refuses to test and publicly publicize
the results. If organic producers are fraudulently
misrepresenting their product, they should be
prosecuted. I know of an organic producer who
was caught, he's not organic this year, wonder
why?

[sk_wheatking]

Just wondering....how do you organic
guys eat at any restaurant,fair booth
fast food joint or have a beer of any
brand and so on and so forth you can bet
your bottom dollar that none of that was
organic grain,beef,pork,chicken. It
seems like the organic guys believe that
if you don't buy into what their doing
well then you must have some sort of
death wish or are trying to somehow
poison people on purpose. And by the way
aren't most organic farmers the ones
that turn ethical and organic when their
conventional operation is pretty well
bankrupt to the point that they can't
get enough capitol together for inputs?
Okay you can rip me apart now.

[oneoff]

"More than enough food on the planet now and for the estimated 9 billion where every study says we will top out."

Show me where this gem of a quote came from.

When we get to 9 billion, my thoughts are that those people will determine if they have "topped out".

Until then, I'll stand on "First and only time I've heard that all the current population could be properly fed today; or that 9 billion is the max human population on mother earth.

Calling BS again.

[btjadenlepp]

People have been saying that agriville's
gone dead since the end of the CWB
monopoly. Yet I have never been so
interested and enlightened on this forum
as in reading this here thread.

Thank you all so much for posting on
this extremely touchy subject, with
clarity and honesty (except the barbs
towards hanmer, those were way off
base).

There isn't a more important topic to be
addressed in grain farming today. Hats
off for your courage in bringing the
debate home, please keep it coming.
Excited to be learning...
www.farmlinksolutions.ca

[parsley]

I agree, sk_wheatking , that some financially-
compromised farmers attempt to farm organically
because they can no longer access credit. And
also many of them switch from their failing grain
operations to conventional cattle operations. Or
sheep. Or elk. Viability is part of farming, and
many factors threaten viability, incl marital
breakups, sickness, incompetency, etc.

But onerous organic paperwork will blanch the
enthusiasm of most any struggler, and they soon
exit. I find that more often, larger operations are
entering organics, and grow more uncommon
crops which are often sold directly to a plant.

Lack of supply seems to be the chronic organic
problem, especially since Whole Foods are
expanding so much.

For myself, sk_wheatking, I eat in diners, gas
stations and fine restaurants, at the neighbours, in
other countries, spicy-hot hot hot food, unknown
food. But if I have a choice, I try to choose
healthy food; foods with as little contamintion as
possible. A orange instead of a hunk of maple
walnut fudge. Oatmeal porridge a better choice
than Cheesies for breakfast, although I have a
penchant for the latter.

I'm among the lucky, though. I don't have irritated
Bowl Syndrome. My neighbour is a chronic celiac
who suffers for days if he sneaks a piece of whole
wheat toast. One extended family member
spends all his painful time in the bathroom if the
food contains gluten.

I note that allergies are growing. Do you? I note
that allergies affect a wider range of ages. Do
you?

As farmers, I believe we need to keep an eye on
what the eating world is swallowing, and
experiencing and thus, needing.

sk_wheatking can sell wheat to Mrs. Consumer
for wheat salad. But my celiac neighbour will not
buy your wheat berries. What makes him so
allergic? What is the cause? Why the epidemic?
Good questions for the farmers growing wheat, I
think.

Organic growers actually fill a large part of that
market that you normally do not service.
Amaranth. Kamut. Spelt. Ancient grains.

You will be glad organics stay in business should
you develop allergies, because eating is a lifelong
pleasure 3x per day, 365 days per year for your
entire life. Parsley