Another Reason to Garden – GMO Food & Roundup

Sometimes when you have been doing something for a long time, you forget that others may not know some of the basic things you take for granted.  I recently posted an article called If You Are Starting A Garden – Count The Cost. In it I mentioned that one reason seed companies have developed genetically modified plants is so that they can spray them with Roundup for easier harvest.  When I wrote that, I forgot that new gardeners may not know what Roundup is so I decided to followup on it here.

Roundup is a chemical that is absorbed into plants and causes them to die.  Supposedly anything that oversprays onto the soil is inert and disappears.  In the plant business, my family always had some of it around to spray the fence lines and such but it always got its own sprayer and we were very careful to stay out of it.  (I know, it would be better not to use it but we didn’t know any better then.)  In any case, you would not want to make the mistake of spraying it onto any of your cash crops because they would die.  Since it was readily absorbed into the leaves of the plant it was sprayed on, you could spray the weeds under your trees but not hurt the trees themselves.  Used correctly, it worked very well and was a huge money maker for Monsanto who holds the patent on  it.

Now, wanting to increase the usefulness of it’s product, the Monsanto company decided that if they could produce crops that could be sprayed without dying, more people would use their product.  From a business standpoint, their logic makes sense but there is a big difference between spraying around a tree and covering a plant with the stuff.  (But I’m getting ahead of myself.)

Through genetically manipulating certain crops, Monsanto developed seeds that a farmer can plant whose crops are resistant to Roundup.  Now soybeans can be sprayed so that the weeds around them all die and the crop is easier to harvest.  That’s great for the farmers but being that this is a recent development, there is no long term study proving that it is safe for you.

Remember, Roundup has been used for years as a very effective weedkiller.  You spray it on what you want to kill.  It is absorbed into the leaves and roots of the plant and then kills it from the inside out.  Since it becomes part of the plant you are killing, it isn’t something that you can wash off.  The genetically modified crops don’t die when you spray them but they do absorb the Roundup and roundup is toxic to humans.  (For kicks, go to your local lawn and garden and read the warnings on the Roundup label.  In part it says that you can use it to prepare ground for planting but do not use it for a spot treatment after planting fruits or vegetables… Hmmm.)

You might want to read this article by Dr. Mercola called Monsanto’s Roundup Residues in GM Food Cause Cell Damage

I’m not trying to scare anyone.  If anything, I am showing you why it is more important to garden today than ever before.  I also hope that you will research the GMO issue for yourself and make an intelligent decision about what you are eating.  Many European countries have banned GMO foods from their stores but here in America they don’t even have to be labeled.  Do you really think you can rely on the politicians to determine what is best for you?

Follow up information:

Does Genetically Modified Food Matter?

GMO Food and Weed Killers

Institute for Responsible Technology

Genetically Modified Foods – What to Know Before You Eat Them

Sowing Seeds of Starvation: Monsanto Hype in Growing Food Crisis