 
 |
||||||
Marra Farm in Seattle’s South Park, an urban farm that grows food for the hungry, is caught in a moral dilemma. Should they use seeds donated from companies who also sell Monsanto varieties? Martha Baskin, Green Acre Radio, visits the farm and explores the issue. 
We put money in banks to keep it safe, so it will be there when we need it. In the same way, seeds are put in special facilities, called seed banks, which keep them safe and extend their viability, so they will be available for many years. 
Frank Morton has been breeding and selecting seed for more than 25 years. In this video, he talks about the importance of seed and how the interaction between seed and human changed both. 
Dutch dairy farmer, Willy van Bakel, lived the American dream by buying and growing a successful 3,000-cow dairy farm in Michigan. Over the last 13 years he has helped 70 Dutch dairy farmers to immigrate to Ohio to set up their own farms. Was van Bakel helping his countrymen live the same dream or was he simply fleecing them out of millions of dollars? 
Farmers and consumer groups filed a lawsuit against the USDA arguing the recent unrestricted approval of GE “Roundup Ready” alfalfa was unlawful. The suit charges that GE alfalfa threatens the rights of farmers and consumers, as well as significant harm to the environment.
Listen to this broadcast by WAMC Northeast Public Radio, where Susan Barnett talks with Page Tomaselli, a staff attorney with the Center for Food Safety about the decision by the USDA to allow unrestricted planting of genetically engineered alfalfa. It’s not the first crop that’s been genetically engineered by chemical giant Monsanto to allow heavy pesticide use, but it’s perhaps the most threatening so far, with opponents calling it the beginning of genetic pollution of not only crops, but the animals and people who eat them.
In the last month three genetically modified crops were partially or completely deregulated: alfalfa, sugar beets, and a type of corn used for ethanol production. GE salmon are awaiting a decision by the FDA because they are animals and not crops and the modification is considered a “new animal drug.” Here are a few things you can do. 
The USDA has launched a voluntary labeling program that will allow manufacturers and distributors to use a USDA Certified Biobased Product label on qualifying products that meet or exceed the amount of biobased content required for certification. The content level varies according to the type of product certified. 
Ever wonder exactly how Monsanto gets those genes into GMOs? Frank Morton explains it in layman’s terms. For decades, Morton has been a “salad guy,” raising a wide variety of greens for seed and selling seed to gardeners and farmers. 
Would you eat a genetically engineered salmon? Are you even sure what the difference is between the regular variety and one that’s been tweaked to grow faster? Don’t feel bad if you’re unsure. Only a quarter of Americans say they fully understand what genetically engineered food is all about. |
||||||
Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa |
