Happy Spring, Boys and Girls!
Here we are, again, recapping just a few of the things we have seen in the last few exciting weeks in our zany food system. As you may remember in one of our last episodes, we were fretting over the failure of herbicide RoundUp, sprayed externally on food crops and all sorts of lawns, public places, etc., for beautiful green lawns and inserted into the cells of such food crops as RoundUp Ready corn, soy, and canola.
This failure means that the fossil fuel-derived chemicals both inserted INTO and sprayed ON these GMO (genetically modified organisms, AKA: GE, genetically engineered) crops are no longer strong enough to do the deadly job of killing off the intended target “weeds.” Why? Because, like everything in nature, “weeds” and other living organisms, adapt to changes in order to survive. When RoundUp is inserted into and sprayed on a plant, this kills most everything but the RoundUp Ready plants, killing many insects and pollinators such as bees and butterflies, “weeds,” and soil organisms. When natural predators for the targeted “weed” are killed off, the problem “weed” is free to come back with a vengeance. So, these “weeds” have become stronger and more deadly to the plant, forcing farmers to use even deadlier chemicals to control the.
http://fieldblog.resistancefighter.com/
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/pig-weed-threatens-agriculture-industry-overtaking-fields-crops/story?id=8766404#.T4WW-tnk-uI.
What’s a farmer to do? Simply bring on more deadly chemicals! No muss, no fuss, no nasty weeds! And, what chemicals are in the Generation Next for herbicides? The EPA has cleared the way for use of far more deadly Agent Orange component, 2,4-D, despite international bans of this substance, and national demands to ban its use in the USA. Agent Orange? You mean, the defoliant used in Vietnam that caused severe health defects in returning U.S. soldiers and a large percentage of the Vietnam peoples, epidemic birth defects, reproductive disorders, deformities, sterility, and many other identified health risks? Yes, Boys and Girls, and they are planning to start inserting it and spraying it on our corn crops. But, how can our government allow this in and on our food? That is the question of our times, Boys and Girls. How, indeed?
Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, et al. v. Monsanto, is a case filed in federal district court in Manhattan on March 29, 2011, on behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses and organic agricultural organizations, challenging Monsanto’s patents on genetically modified seed. The plaintiff group now represents over 300,000 members. On March 28, 2012, in Federal District Court in Manhattan, family farmers filed their Notice of Appeal to Judge Naomi Buchwald's Feb. 24 ruling dismissing Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association et al v. Monsanto. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will hear the farmers' appeal, seeking to reinstate the case, which has received worldwide attention.
Our good friends at Monsanto (maker of RoundUp), are planning to sue the state of Vermont for demanding to have all GMO ingredients labeled by law. Connecticut, Hawaii and California are also pushing for laws to get GMOs labeled. Do you think we need to know what is in the food we buy and that we should be clearly informed on the labels, as over 50 other nations currently mandate by law, to decide for ourselves whether or not to buy and eat GMO products, Boys & Girls? If you think so, you are among 98 percent of Americans who agree with you. The FDA, EPA and USDA are supposed to work for us, Boys and Girls! Why do they refuse to protect us?
After an unprecedented 1.1 million comments delivered to FDA demanding that GMO’s be labeled, here is their official response: “… We have not been able to reach a decision on your petition. ... We hope to be able to complete the review of your petition and respond to your request in the near future.”
A few ways you can have your say and demand that we get labels on GMOs: http://justlabelit.org/ , http://gefoodlabels.org/ , http://www.responsibletechnology.org/take-action , http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/action.cfm , http://organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm , http://www.pbs.org/tradesecrets/problem/bodyburden.html ,
Other ideas:
- Get your hands dirty, forget the lawn and grow your own food!
- Join an organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm; they use no deadly chemicals and there are many on Eastern Long Island http://www.justfood.org/csa. You pay a “share” for the season in advance, so the farmer has a good financial start for the growing season, and you get local food all the way through the Fall! Search by zip code: http://www.justfood.org/csaloc.
http://cleanfoodearth.blogspot.com
Hey, We've All Gotta Eat!
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/pig-weed-threatens-agriculture-industry-overtaking-fields-crops/story?id=8766404#.T4cbFO24LFI
Here is a link to the petition....http://action.panna.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9109 which reads... "We are writing to urge you not to deregulate a new generation of genetically engineered crops designed to survive repeated spraying of the herbicide 2,4-D. Simply put, 2,4-D resistant seeds are a bad idea. Allowing these seeds on the market will drive up use of an antiquated, dangerous herbicide that is associated with cancer, reproductive toxicity and endocrine disruption. The history of glyphosate use in conjunction with RoundUp Ready crops tells us that widespread planting of 2,4-D resistant corn will lead inevitably to a surge in 2,4-D application. " (more below)
"2,4-D is well known to drift, both directly and through volatilization. This will devastate adjacent ecosystems and poses a very real threat to rural economies and farmers growing non-2,4-D-resistant crops. Conventional farmers will lose crops while organic farmers will lose both crops and certification, resulting in an economic unraveling of already-stressed rural communities. "2,4-D resistant corn follows the same short-sighted approach to farming taken by Monsanto's "RoundUp Ready" corn, which was engineered to resist glyphosate. The RoundUp Ready seed line is responsible for new breeds of superweeds and superbugs that have afflicted millions of acres of farmland across the Midwest and South. Please don't make the same mistake in approving 2,4-D-tolerant GE crops. We urge USDA to reject Dow’s petition for approval of its 2,4-D resistant seed lines (whether corn, soy or cotton) and to devote more attention instead to research and development of safe and smart 21st century ecological approaches to weed management. These approaches can protect public health, conserve the environment and assure sustainable crop production by America’s farmers for generations to come. " The future will thank you...