whitepine2
Silver Member
Could not have said it better myself.:thumbsup:
Round UP Fears
- Thread starter MESSMAKER
- Start date
- Views: 10752
Could not have said it better myself.:thumbsup:
Maxify55
Gold Member
The Mrs. is a 40 yr medical professional and says it like this:
We live in a poisonous world, too many birthdays will kill you and if nothing else gets you guys first, your prostate will more than likely kill you.
Given that you live that long, of course.
We live in a poisonous world, too many birthdays will kill you and if nothing else gets you guys first, your prostate will more than likely kill you.
Given that you live that long, of course.
TomSeller
Super Member
I have heard of that link. Sad.
In regards to roundup, just the thought of roundup ready corn and other food makes you wonder. I try to eat as much organic as possible. Roundup ready means they can spray the roundup on the actual food you eat, right? Yum.
gsganzer
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I don't have a problem with the use a pesticide in select areas where the target pest is unwanted and it's safe to apply the pesticide with minimal drift outside it's target area and pest. I think we can probably all agree with that.
The problem is when you start to genetically modify crops so they're resistant to the herbicide and in turn blanket spray the crop with said herbicide. Do any of us really want our food products blanket sprayed with something that doesn't naturally occur? I think anyone would probably agree that you're asking for problems, maybe even something that can't be readily recognized with todays technology and takes years for statistical analysis to develop. I earned an AG degree 30 years ago and even then we talked about integrated pest management (IPM) to have a balanced approach to pest control.
I'm not against pesticides or genetic modification. But there seems to be something wrong with modifying something so you create a more unbalanced control method.
The problem is when you start to genetically modify crops so they're resistant to the herbicide and in turn blanket spray the crop with said herbicide. Do any of us really want our food products blanket sprayed with something that doesn't naturally occur? I think anyone would probably agree that you're asking for problems, maybe even something that can't be readily recognized with todays technology and takes years for statistical analysis to develop. I earned an AG degree 30 years ago and even then we talked about integrated pest management (IPM) to have a balanced approach to pest control.
I'm not against pesticides or genetic modification. But there seems to be something wrong with modifying something so you create a more unbalanced control method.
rd_macgregor
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Pests that directly attack a crop (eg, insects, mites, fungus) might be controllable via an engineered resistance gene (or genes). However, weeds are a different matter. Biological control of weeds in crops hasn't really been very effective, which leaves chemical or mechanical control. Among herbicides, glyphosate has tested out as about the least toxic and persistent. Being able to kill just about ALL competing plants in a field, with hardly any effect on the crop must have seemed like a miracle when it was first released. Now that glyphosate is off-patent, competitive manufacturing has driven down the price, making the RR crop/glyphosate combination an irresistable tool for many farmers.
Only if the market (ultimate consumers or supply chain) suddenly starts to shun these crops will farmers turn away from them because they currently offer significant business advantages to the farmers' operations.
However, as with all control methods (to a degree, even mechanical), Nature Bats Last. Resistance management may delay the inevitable, but years of use strongly selects for resistance. Glyphosate resistant weeds are showing up in increasing numbers already, forcing the use of more complicated control methods (eg multiple chemical/mechanical combinations), and similar pressures will eventually undermine the effectiveness of built-in pest resistance, too (eg Bt crops or virus-resistant papaya).
Final consumer traits, like those found in Golden Rice, Arctic Apple or Innate Potato shouldn't face the same selective pressures and might be expected to have extended useful field lifespans as a result.
Only if the market (ultimate consumers or supply chain) suddenly starts to shun these crops will farmers turn away from them because they currently offer significant business advantages to the farmers' operations.
However, as with all control methods (to a degree, even mechanical), Nature Bats Last. Resistance management may delay the inevitable, but years of use strongly selects for resistance. Glyphosate resistant weeds are showing up in increasing numbers already, forcing the use of more complicated control methods (eg multiple chemical/mechanical combinations), and similar pressures will eventually undermine the effectiveness of built-in pest resistance, too (eg Bt crops or virus-resistant papaya).
Final consumer traits, like those found in Golden Rice, Arctic Apple or Innate Potato shouldn't face the same selective pressures and might be expected to have extended useful field lifespans as a result.