>Beth von Gunten wrote:
>> >Dear Folks,
>> >I asked Haagen Dasz if they had any genetically manipulated
ingredients
>> >in their famous icecreams. This was because I had doubts about the
corn
>> >syrup and the lecticin.
So for the record, I Steve Groff, am opposed to BST use in the dairy
industry! We don't need any more milk right now, prices are low,and
some undesirable effects have been proven. These have already been
discussed.
I was asking, "Has a genetically engineered *corn product* been shone to
cause adverse affects when used in making ice cream?". So far, I
haven't heard an answer saying it is harmful. I would like to see an
organic institution do some reputable research on a subject of this
importance and *prove* that it is harmful.
In Beth's response, I heard her saying that what she really wants, is to
*know * if the food she eats has any GE ingredients. Then she can choose
not to eat that food because of her doubts regarding its long term
safety. (correct me if I'm wrong, Beth)
Now that you know my BST position, I feel I also need to respond to the
motivation of my original question. Some GE products can have
undesirable effects, but that doesn't mean that just because a certain
product is genetically engineered that we can conclude it is harmful. I
use roundup ready beans because they allow me to reduce my herbicide and
gives me greater flexibility in weed control. Last year I used $7.00 of
herbicides per acre on roundup ready beans that were no-tilled compared
to $25-$35 of herbicide an acre grown the convention way. (Yes,
profitability determines the very existence of a farmer.) However
genetic engineering was only a part of the reason for this low cost.
Long term no-tillage, use of cover crops and crop rotation also helped.
So using this illustration you can see that I saved valuable topsoil and
increased O.M. by not tilling the soil, had a cover crop of rye (helped
control weeds and built soil tilth), field was rotated (again, weed
control and pests were reduced), and I used only 1/2 pt. of roundup to
control remaining weeds.
I could have tilled the soil and grown the beans organically which would
have resulted in:
-burning alot of synthetic fuel by tilling the field
-taken up my time with extra field prep and cultivation
-left the soil to the possibility of erosion
-burned up some precious organic matter in the tilling process
As you can see, there is *no* perfect system to grow food. Granted, some
approaches, certianly are better than others. I'm all for promoting
healthy food! How it's done will vary from farmer to farmer based on
information and experiance he/she has and how
profitable it'll be.
We all take risks. We know very well that by getting in a car we might
get injured or even die. But most of us believe that risk is worth it,
because of what we can do to make our lives better by the benfit it
gives us.
If a GE crop is not found to be harmful, I'll use it until it's proven
otherwise.
In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my ice cream!
"New Generation Cropping Systems": the cutting edge of sustainable
agriculture
http://www2.epix.net/~cmfarm/
Steve Groff
Cedar Meadow Farm
679 Hilldale Rd
Holtwood PA 17532 USA
Ph. 717-284-5152
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