Deals.Woot

They're not already? That's surprising.

I'm against it. Strange things happen when you mess with nature. And then there's how Monsanto can effectively ruin so many farmer's livelihood with lawsuits.

http://disasterandemergencysurvival.com/archives/monsanto-the-seed-monopoly-that-caused-genetically-modified-food-to-start-showing-up-on-nearly-every-dinner-table-in-the-united-states

I can go on, but there's a reason why I rather opt for organic.

Monsanto is an evil corp. that has screwed over farmers all across this nation. Watch Food Inc. for better insight on the crap they've pulled.

@dleffert: Freedom of choice is precisely what we DO WANT. The problem is that the GMO corn IS NOT IDENTIFIED AS SUCH in products, because there's no law that says that information has to be on the label. The only way to avoid it is to buy only organic products, products that use only organically-grown corn, or stick to brands that have stated that they do not use GMO ingredients. I would be quite happy if GMO ingredients were identified as such on the label. Then people who want it could buy it and the rest of us could avoid it. Monsanto has fought any and every regulation that would identify GMO ingredients as such.

All the corn you eat is GMO. ANY modern corn is very different that what was originally cultivated. The only thing different is the method of modifying the corn. Farmers have been selectively breeding crops for millennia, the only difference today is that the modifying is done in a laboratory. GMO foods are probably the key to preventing mass starvation worldwide; If all crops were grown organically, someone would have to decide which 2 billion humans didn't get to eat any more, since there is only enough arable land on earth to feed 4-5 billion people if only organic farming methods are used..

@adadavis: The beautiful thing about free markets is that people signal what they want with their dollars, and it really is easy to tell on the grocery shelf what you are buying. And you only have to label one side of the debate - if it's labeled "organic" it's not GMO, if it is not labeled "organic" you can just about be guaranteed it is GMO. It's simple, really.

The fact that "organic" is such a niche market is an indicator that most folks are OK with GMO, since most row crop (wheat, barley, soy, and especially corn) has been GMO since the '60's. That's not to say that everybody is happy with it, and that's why there are choices - you have a right to vote with your dollars.

But neither side of this debate should be demanding the elimination of choice or, in other words, telling the other side how they should be living their lives.

@thumperchick: Passions will always be high on this issue, but we should work hard to keep facts in check.

M has not sued any farmer for seed landing in fields - that has been several farmers' defense when sued by M and in each and every case to date, courts have found that the farmers were not telling the truth. Think about it - would the wind result in row after perfectly planted row of GMO crop? Of course not. Only the most gullible (or Food Inc.) would have you believe so.

Farmers buy M seed because it out-performs many of the alternatives (no I don't work for M, I'm from Iowa and many in my family farm) and they sign a contract and technology license and agree to royalties when they do. It's easy to hide from view when you pirate music or software, kinda hard to hide when you have hundreds of acres of crop from illegally obtained (royalty free) seed.

Our whole system crumbles if companies aren't allow to protect their patents (no one would invest in R&D otherwise).

Instead of calling anyone names (gullible) or inundating this thread with links to the various lawsuits, outcomes, etc. I'll simply say that google is your friend if you are looking develop an informed opinion about GMO, Monsanto, and the patenting of our seed supply.

FWIW - I'm a fan of the free market system. I also believe that if a company misrepresents their product, they should be penalized. GMO products should be labeled, anything less is a misrepresentation of the product. Expecting people to "vote with their money" only works if people know what they're buying.