Believing in Science does not make me a traitor to my
people.
I am a Nature worshipper. Nature is kind of my
religion. I am a tree hugger (literally), and find God in living things.
Since I made a visit to Monsanto, courtesy of Illinois
Farm Families and Illinois Corn back in April, I have found myself in several
strange online and offline discussions. With family, friends, and strangers
defending the science behind GMO while being accused of succumbing to the “propaganda”
of the company.
What a GMO is, is a Genetically Modified Organism. It
could really be any plant which is cross-pollinated. What it has come to mean
is seed that is created in a lab and then enters our food supply. It seems to
mean that we are eating frankenfood suddenly (even though GMO corn has been in
the fields for more than 20 years).
Yes, there are seeds now in our supply that are
modified in a laboratory. We eat them. The DNA of the BT bacteria does not
enter our DNA and change it. Round Up is not part of the DNA of the seed but a
coating around it. Farmers are using
LESS chemicals than ever before. At Monsanto seed bags also contain non-GMO
seed and uncoated seed to preserve the food chain. (NO ONE believes me on this
one, but I heard it from the horse’s mouth, as it were). Nurture. Right? The process of caring for and
encouraging the growth or development of someone or something?
Nature has been modifying food for millennia, as have
Farmers by selecting pollens and impregnating plants with pollens from plants
they like better. This is NOT different than doing the selection in the lab. It
is just more efficient.
GMO Labeling NEEDS to happen. Any entity trying to
prevent this, including Monsanto, should just stop it. It would solve so many
problems. Federal mandate. Do it. Companies do it on your own. Just freaking
label so that the Non-GMO labeling craze will stop fooling people out of their
money using fear tactics and age-old advertising techniques.
I had a very enlightening discussion with a Farmer
among my Facebook friends. She and I
became friends via social media, we have never met in person and we probably
never will. We became friends because of
social activism – advocating for the rights of breastfeeding women. Sounds
pretty crunchy and granola right? Just the type of company I have kept over the
years. Liberal, smart women. Women and men who embrace the freespirit and the
back to the earth movements. Modern day hippies. (My most frequent nicknames
over the years Hippy, Mama, Hippy Mama, and for a brief time Red).
Turns out she and her husband are canola farmers in
Canada. Canada, the mecca of my people. I asked her if they used GMO canola,
knowing it was one of the few available to market.
“We have choices for non-GMO canola,
but we don't choose them as the yield will be worse. Farming is complicated. I
just get frustrated as it is hard to explain all the factors going into our
decisions, in a Facebook comment. We have spent years and years farming, and
Darryl spends hours researching before making these decisions each year.”
I replied to her that this is what I
learned both during my experience as a Field Mom (now called City Moms) with Illinois
Farm Families and my visit to Monsanto. That farmers ARE thinking about it. DO
care about it and ultimately DO have choices.
She replied that “It does kind of
scare me that you didn't think that, before you went. I'm not attacking you
personally, it just gives me insight to what non-farmers are thinking about
farmers, and that kinda shocks and hurts me.”
As an Earth Mama, I respect the
stewards of our lands – the Farmer. I respect the highly educated people who
make decisions every day. Farmers are not Big Ag. This is a label we are using
to take the human element out of the equation. They are people like you and me
who make educated choices.
After agreeing with all of the
science and arguing for the inherent safety of GMO products, I must reiterate,
I believe that big business is BAD for our country. Bad for our global economy.
Bad for second and third world countries who are being forced into a capitalist
economy which benefits business over people. Monsanto is a Big Business. We
need to stop likening corporations to people.
We need to get over our materialism.
Science may take us there. Nature and Nurture.
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