Demystifying GMOs: What You Need to Know

What Is A GMO?

GMO's will feed the world! Have you heard that statement? Or maybe you have seen the Non-GMO project label. Either way you might have an idea of what it is or maybe you don't. If your like me, you avoid them like the plague. This behavior will inevitably lead you into either a confrontation with some overweight, pill loving, baby-boomer who thinks a balanced diet means having the "bubble" around his middle or you will have some fragile, sweet old lady ask " What is a Jimo?" Whichever the situation is, you will need to have a basic understanding of "Jimos" and their harmful effects on our health and soils. I will endeavor to shed a little bit of light on the situation...I'll try to hold the light steady but I might shine it off in the bushes for a little bit.

I should start with a little history of Genetically Modified Organisms, they are also known as (Bioengineered food). In the year 1982 , The first GMO product, Synthetic insulin, was approved by the USDA and FDA for Human consumption, what may have started out as a good idea soon spiraled out of control. The USDA, EPA and FDA decided in their infinite wisdom, That a GMO was a "Process" and not part of the food, despite the fact that that same food, one can test for toxins and glyphosates and find that they are present in your child's breakfast. In 1994, we saw the first genetically modified tomato, know as the Flavr Savr, was approved for human poisoning...I mean eating. It's genetic makeup was altered to suit the distributors needs, namely to delay ripening and to have a longer shelf life...although all the lobbyists love to tell congress that GMO's will feed the world it is really all about profit! The tomato wasn't modified with the health of the consumer in mind, it was modified to increase profits and get you eating old tomatoes that you would usually reject as being unfit for food. This leads us down the road to the next franken tomato which has the antifreeze gene of the winter flounder (afa3) to make a tomato that is resistant to frost. Once again...you don't matter. I'm picking on tomatoes but this has become the prevailing theme of todays food. Instead of asking how can we farm better, the prevailing thought process is, How can we take more, ship across the world, fool the consumer and take the soil for all its got!? Thank goodness for the awakening consumer and regenerative farmers!

If you got this far you ought to congratulate yourself! I just heard that the illiteracy rate in the US is approaching 70%...more on that later.

There are basically three types of GMO's.

#1 Bt Toxin- (Bacillus Thuringienesis) This is a toxin that is added to the plant to resist pests. Basically, a little bug nibbles on it and the BT toxin enters its stomach and creates a little toxin factory that eventually ends up exploding the bugs stomach and killing the host. One wonders what this might do to a human? Leaky gut syndrome possibly? The only ones, with the money required, to study it's effects on us are the ones who are manufacturing the crops. The USDA and FDA accept their studies and their money. The common crops that BT toxin is found in are Bt-potatoes, Bt-corn, Bt-sweetcorn, soybeans (94%), eggplant, canola, tomato, broccoli, chickpeas, spinach, and cauliflower.

#2 Herbicide-resistant crop ( HRC's) or Round-up ready. HRC's have a glyphosate resistant Gene inserted in to the plant to make it resistant to sprayed glyphosate and astrazines. They can also regenerate as a resistant hybrid mutant. According to the EWG, 80%-90% of all wheats test positive for glyphosate and astrazine. The stated purpose for such a modification is to create a resistant crop so that the field can be sprayed for weeds while not having an adverse effect on the crop. Of course the worms and soil microbiome will die also! While several studies show that weeds can be controlled with proper soil management, cover crops and multi-species crops; this requires a more intentional form of farming not suited to thousands of hectares of land and would not line the pockets of the overlords of big-ag. One must be careful or farmers may start making a living and not passing on all their earnings to the seed and chemical companies. Somebody needs to pay for that yacht. This reminds me of a recent court case which saw over 54000 farmhands paid over 10 billion dollars after Montsano ( Bayer) was found responsible for knowingly selling round-up and causing these workers to get Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I have personally met a fellow affected by this. I can still see the softball sized scars from the massive "pocks" that his body formed when his white blood cells tried to eliminate the poison. If you want some insight into the types of toxins involved in the process and its horrible repercussions, look into the DOW ( formerly Union Carbide) factory explosion in Bhopal, India in 1984. Bayer is currently Lobbying Congress to pass a bill granting them "Immunity" from being sued from the injured "public". They are using the "To Big Too Fail" ideology and making massive contributions to universities. But why would they care if you get cancer? They produce the chemo treatments that you may get! I know of a freedom of information act request made to the EPA for any communications with the word "glyphosate" between them and Bayer for the time period of 2020-2021. After six months, the requester was emailed a question to inquire if they still wanted the information. It turns out there were over 1200 DAILY interdepartmental emails between Bayer and the employees of ours at the EPA. That ain't normal! They informed the group that it will take four years to prepare the documentation because they needed to "protect" Bayer's interests. Wait! Who do they work for? 1200 per day for over a year? That's only with the word glyphosate. There was one study done by Gilles-eric Seralini in 2017. He fed Rats food that had been sprayed with glyphosate and they grew massive tumors! Of course the prestigious U.S. universities took Bayer's money and dutifully cried out against the study. There are over 750 brands of glyphosate used in the USA. Folks, the use of glyphosate is banned in 33 countries including France, Belgium, and Germany because of its known effects on health! What are we doing different?

#3 Trait enhancement GMO's. This process includes inserting a foreign gene, Like we see in our frost tolerant tomato, or in the case of the tomato containing the preservative BHT( butylated hydroxytoluene). For some unknown reason it is permitted in our food even though the NIH has listed as a compound that commonly causes stomach cancer! This is a specific addition to delay ripening or as used in the case of the Simplot potato, which is commonly served at restaurants across the country, It inhibits the potato from going brown or showing decomposition, you won't notice it when cooked in a seed oil and it looks ok. But it is not! The newest modification that I have learned about is the Galsafe pig. Apparently there has been an increase in allergic reactions to pork ( The cheapest meat to mass produce) and a possible market for pig to human organ transplants ( David Bennett, January 2022). They have inserted a HUMAN protein (CD46) into the pigs genome to arrest the human immune system. Maybe you would like to be part of that medical study? A reoccurring side effect of trait enhancement process is unintended gene mutations, who would guess? I don't know about you but I want intentional food! If they do study the crops or pigs, they focus on the effects of the known mutations... the unintended mutations would likely not be studied. I'll pass, thanks!

"We need GMO's to feed the world!" It's interesting to know that Rodale Institute has completed a 40 year study comparing GMO ( conventional) crops next to organically grown crops. The result of the study has been that Organic produces the same and is more resistant to drought and pestilence. They estimate that we have about 55 more harvests left before we completely destroy our soils and suffer a nation wide famine that will make the dust bowl look like a time of feasting and plenty. This is spinning out of control! When Vladimir Putin declares anyone who grows GMO crops or sprays glyphosate to be a domestic terrorist but we continue to feed them to our children...we are in a sad state! Our environment, food and medicine is so polluted that it is causing irreversible damage to us! The Department of Defense just stated that 77% of young adults ( age 17-24) are ineligible for active service! Our nation is sick! I don't think we need GMO's to feed us. Researchers have shown that 500 years ago the U.S produced 50x as much food as we do today! I don't want to be saying 55 harvests from now, I told you so!

I close with this question. What can I do? I am doing! I'm writing this blog to inform you, We are farming like our lives depend on it!( utilizing regenerative agriculture), and I'm voting with my wallet! What can you do? Do you care? Or are you too selfish to care about the children?