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Alaska

Saw a special on transgenic food crops the other day and I was a little surprised by what I saw. Apparently Monsanto is going around buying up as many seed companies as they can. Then keeping those old seed varieties out of the market. Thereby making only their Transgenic seeds available to the farmer. Like cotton in India. What's even more troubling is the cross contamination of Landrace corn in Mexico. Scary stuff.

4/14/2010 1:33:27 PM

[email protected]

They sued a farmer who grew heirloom corn when bees introduced Monsanto's Roundup Ready genetics.

Yeah, I'm more R than D. But as a true Constitutional Conservative I find Monsanto and the courts behavior to be reprehensible. Bees and wind borne pollen be damned.

Genetically engineered plants are fine. No paranoia here. We all do it (without the lab coats) with AGs but we can't hide behind patents to shield our gains from loss. Nor should we.

4/14/2010 2:02:48 PM

Fresno, CA

Checkout the film Food Inc (http://www.foodincmovie.com/) - it has some interesting coverage of that story.

4/14/2010 3:17:27 PM

Pataskala,OH

Food Inc seems a little slanted towards anti Transgenic
side. But I have to agree patenting one gene is a little rediculous. The trait should have to be expressed. Because A plant can have some of the roundup ready genes that go unexpressed meaning they will die from roundup so that should not be considered property of Monsanto. I should start Nicsanto and introduce genes I patent into Monsanto's Feilds. Then sue them. LOL

4/14/2010 5:31:26 PM

[email protected]

That's been my gripe. Instead of attacking the small heirloom farmer, contain your precious Roundup Ready gene.

That or pay up for contaminating the heirloom guy.

4/14/2010 6:52:43 PM

Rochester, NY

Very contoversial topic. Watch this video and let me know what yoyu think of Monsanto,
http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food

You won't believe hwat they are doing.

4/14/2010 8:52:54 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

The big problem witht he Rounduo Ready corn and soybean varities is that they are resulting in Roundup resistant weeds. Any weeds that have some resistance to Roundup and survive to produce seeds that pass on that trait. Another trnasgenic trait is the BT corn tht kissl a lot of insects. The fear with them is that they will kill a lot of beneficial insects as well as breeding resistand pests.

4/14/2010 9:02:51 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

Monsanto definitely needs to be held in check here, but where do we draw the line? Free enterprise and patent rights need to be honored as well. The Roundup resistant gene in the agricultural world has resulted in one of the highest quality, lowest-priced food markets in the world. Lower production costs result in lower grain prices, higher quality beef and pork, and lower cost of grain products such as cereals and breads. In reality, the public demand for lower cost food products drives Monsanto's greed.

I can remember the heyday of livestock farming when pork was $75.00 per hundredweight. Pork loin prices were unreal at that time and now you can buy it at $1.99 a pound.

4/14/2010 11:33:48 PM

Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada

va-poo-rize

4/15/2010 1:06:44 AM

Alaska

Who do you believe?
http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/india061004.cfm

4/15/2010 1:12:19 PM

Bemidji Minnesota

Allways ask yourself there two questions, when EVER information is being given:

1. Who is producing this information?

2. Who does this bennefit?

4/15/2010 2:21:51 PM

Bemidji Minnesota

Ever notice if you misspronounce "monsanto" you get "am satan"?

4/15/2010 2:22:51 PM

The bottom of New Jersey

Perhaps Nic is onto something here, as the saying goes if you can't beat them join them. Obviously Monsonto has the money for all the lawyers in the world and farmers don't, but at some point some group of lawyers is going to have to stand up and help fight Monsonto for the good of the American farmers and our environment. Monsonto will eventually do some major irreparable harm (actually, I think they have already) that they will have to answer for. Sure, you could make the argument that they have helped keep food cheap, but at what other costs? There is more to food than the price tag on it, for example nutritional quality and the environmental impact of its production. I don't agree that cheaper food equals higher quality food, I think it's quite the opposite.

4/16/2010 9:54:47 AM