Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series on genetically modified foods. This week’s article presents the views of area crop farmers who support genetically modifying crops. Last week’s article presented the view of a local natural food cooperative, which discouraged GMO consumption.
Mary Jo and Karl Lamb are crop farmers in Renville County. Yielding sweet corn, field corn and soy beans, the Lambs have a pro-GMO stance on this agricultural practice.
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are crops developed through genetic engineering, a more precise method of plant breeding, the Lambs believe. Genetic engineering, also referred to as biotechnology, allows plant breeders to take what they deem a desirable trait found in nature and transfer it from one plant or organism to the plant they want to improve, as well as make a change to an existing trait in a plant they are developing.
Some examples of traits commonly transferred include resistance to insects and disease and tolerance to herbicides that allow farmers to better control weeds.
“Not every seed put in the ground is genetically modified,” Mary Jo said. “People need to understand that there’s a reason why they are used, and it’s completely safe.”
The Lambs, who live south of Cosmos and farm in the Hector area, are among millions of farmers who share the opinion that genetically modified crops are a benefit to their line of work. Using science as their guide, the Lambs look at GMOs as catalyst for providing the best crop for the consumption of their customers. The results of research and design in GMOs, they said, provide the ideal crop, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s amazing that some smart scientist peeled the best parts of plants and made the best plant that there is,” Mary Jo said. “That’s all it is. Better, stronger, healthier crops.”
And while some have differing opinions in the GMO debate, the Lambs’ frustration stems from what they consider to be a lack of proper information.
“People just aren’t willing to listen,” Mary Jo said. “Some of it is the attitude, but people need to look at where their news is coming from.”
It goes beyond just forming an opinion, according to Mary Jo, who believes false food labeling and biased news sources should be explored with caution and scrutiny. The Lambs implore people to delve into why they believe GMOs are harmful and to present research to back up their arguments, and they ask that they fully invest in the education presented on the development of GMOs.
“People have this misconception of farmers being dumb,” Mary Jo said, “but what people don’t realize is that farmers have degrees. Farmers go to informational meetings and seminars, actively educating themselves further on everything that changes.”
HOW GMOs ARE MADE
It’s more than just sticking a syringe into a seed and pumping chemicals into it, the Lambs say.
“It’s all about breeding,” Mary Jo said. “It has nothing to do with chemicals.”
According to the website “GMO Answers,” the process of creating GMOs begins by picking out a desired trait within the plant, whether it be a tolerance to a certain climate or resistance to insects. Scientists then look for the genetics necessary in nature through other organisms which contain the trait they want to develop in a genetically modified plant. Once that is established, the next step is to make the transfer of that gene into the crop plant.
Plants undergo extensive testing and observations in a “performance” according to “GMO Answers.” If the plant does not meet the safety requirements set, they do not go to market.
“‘Genetically modified’ has become a loaded term that is misused to describe recombinant DNA bio-technology, one of the most important technological advancements in the 10,000-year history of agriculture,” Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore said in a video for Prager University. “We have been modifying the genetics of plants and animals since agriculture and the domestication of animals began.”
THE SCIENCE AND THE RESULTS
There are only nine GMO crops commercially available to farmers in the United States. Squash, cotton, soybean, corn, papaya, alfalfa, sugar beets, canola and potatoes were the preexisting GMO crops this year, but a new genetically modified apple will be coming to Midwestern grocery stores soon, according to the website “Scientific American.”
The “Arctic apple” will be available this month with a new genetic trait that prevents its flesh from browning when exposed to air. While it is the first GMO food that was not designed to benefit farmers, it could please consumers searching for that aesthetic in an apple.
“The apple is not the first GMO that people would eat, but it’s the first one that consumers may value,” said Mary Maxon, who oversees biosciences programs at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, during an interview for Scientific American.
At Prager University, a video came to light on Facebook discussing the statistics behind the GMO debate, arguing that numbers are telling in the success of GMO development.
“Today, 18 million farmers in 28 countries are growing genetically modified crops on 448 million acres. That’s 12 percent of the world’s farmland,” Moore said. “On average, (genetically modified) crops increased yield by 22 percent, reduced pesticide use by 37 percent and increased farmer profits by 68 percent.”
While the argument is ongoing, it can be concluded that both sides of the GMO debate have their reasons, and the opinion is up to the individuals.
