Monsanto – GMO – GM – Heirloom – Hybrid – Organic – Get It Right

For the gazillion time, I am not a fan of Monsanto, GM or GMO plants or seed. However almost every Monsanto rant I read the writer has only about 1/2 half or less of their information right. Often quoting third hand hear say, or unproven unreliable research report(s).

A blog I read stated as a fact that GM cotton requires more water. Get your head back into the real world. Sure GM cotton may require more water, but it is also producing twice as many pounds of cotton per acre. I and you should as well, expect that crop to require more water.
No thinking person should expect a single bowl of ‘GM'(developed by Monsanto) golden rice to provide ‘ALL’ of your vitamin A (or any other vitamin) daily needs.

Just for a point of reference In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s I heard the very same fear tactics, when hybrid grain maize, soybean, corn and vegetable seeds first entered our food chain.

USDA and FDA said Natural and Organic Foods PDF
* It is important to keep in mind that the term “organic” does not necessarily mean “healthier.” The USDA makes no claim that organically produced food is safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food. Consumers will still need to read nutrition labels and make wise selections to maintain an overall healthy diet. Keep in mind that the words “natural” and “organic” are not interchangeable. Only food labeled “organic” designate that the product meets the new USDA organic standards.
Organic Nutrition Labels

Organic / Organic Grown is ‘most’ likely not what you think it is and has little or nothing to do with the plants or the seed they come. The term Organic has much more to do with the growing conditions and methods used in growing that crop. Use of man made fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides.
If a product does not carry the USDA certified Organic Label, the term natural or organic has no real meaning.

Organic farming, agriculture conducted according to certain standards, especially the use of stated methods of fertilization and pest control.
Organic certification, accreditation process for producers of organic products.
Organic horticulture, the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture.
Organic food, food produced from organic farming methods and often certified organic according to organic farming standards.

Heirloom seed / varieties much like Organic has no ‘real’ provable definition, but is subject to the opinion of the seller or grower.
The definition and use of the word heirloom to describe plants is fiercely debated.

One school of thought places an age or date point on the cultivars. For instance, one school says the cultivar must be over 100 years old, others 50 years, and others prefer the date of 1945 which marks the end of World War II and roughly the beginning of widespread hybrid use by growers and seed companies.
Additionally, there is another category of cultivars that could be classified as “commercial heirlooms”, cultivars that were introduced many generations ago and were of such merit that they have been saved, maintained and handed down even if the seed company has gone out of business or otherwise dropped the line. Additionally, many old commercial releases have actually been family heirlooms that a seed company obtained and introduced.

Most authorities agree that heirlooms, by definition, must be open-pollinated. They may also be open pollinated varieties that were bred and stabilized using classic breeding practices. Generally speaking heirlooms have adapted over time to whatever climate and soil they have grown in. Due to their genetics, they are often resistant to local pests, diseases, and extremes of weather.

Hybrid seed is seed produced by cross-pollinated plants. Hybrid seed production is predominant in agriculture and home gardening. It is one of the main contributors to the dramatic rise in agricultural output at the end of WWI and again after WWII ended.
The alternatives to hybridization are open pollination and clonal propagation.

Controlled hybrids provide very uniform characteristics because they are produced by crossing two inbred strains. Elite inbred strains are used that express well documented and consistent phenotypes (such as high yield) that are relatively good for inbred plants.

An important factor is the heterosis or combining ability of the parent plants. Crossing any particular pair of inbred strains may or may not result in superior offspring. The parent strains used are therefore carefully chosen so as to achieve the uniformity that comes from the uniformity of the parents, and their superior performance.
In the US, the commercial hybrid market was launched in the 1920s, with the first hybrid maize.

Monsanto Goes Organic A must read for Monsanto haters and those ‘like me’ that are not fans of GM / GMO products.

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Why is common sense so uncommon?
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