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H. Dale Herring Presents; Living and Working in the Country

DALE'S Message Some time ago I met with a small group of foreign investors. They were looking to invest in farmland in the Southeastern U. S.  Well, of course, I was trying to share with them all the great things about owning Florida farmland. The excellent climate, good water supply, etc. I also shared with them that recent studies indicate there could be a shortage of food supply, even in developed countries, if production doesn’t meet demand. To bring this into perspective, I gave them this analogy. Imagine an apple as the globe (our earth). Now, cut the apple into fourths. Discard three-fourths and keep one-fourth in your hand. This fourth represents the land on the globe, the discarded portion is water. Now, cut the remaining one-fourth in half. This remaining portion represents the arable land (land that we can farm). But it gets better. Take out your trusty Case pocket knife and slowly cut the peeling from the remainder. This represents the topsoil that feeds the world.

What we eat is important.  Not just the nutrition of our food, but how it’s grown. It impacts our families and planet—and that’s serious business. Asking questions, especially when it comes to food, should always be embraced.

What is a GMO?  GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism, and it can describe the way many products in industries like medicine, scientific research and agriculture are made. When it comes to food, GMO refers to seeds. They grow in the ground like any other seed, only genetically modified (GM) seeds have certain desirable traits setting them apart. These seeds grow into plants that might use water more efficiently or better withstand pests like bugs or weeds, which means they may require less farmland to grow. GM seeds have been used by farmers for approximately 20 years. However, seeds have actually been modified through traditional plant breeding techniques for hundreds of years. Fruits like today's seedless watermelon and bananas, which are significantly different than earlier versions of these fruits, are a result of traditional plant breeding techniques. Modern GM seeds still make use of traditional plant breeding to add desired traits to plants—essentially combining cutting-edge and foundational plant science.

How GM seeds are developed:  1.   The desired trait (like disease resistance or drought tolerance) is identified in nature. 2.   The gene for the trait is transferred into the plant seed. 3.   The plant is tested to ensure that it is safe for people, animals, and the environment. 4.   After years of testing and approvals from governments around the world, the new seeds are available to farmers.

Why Grow GM Crops?  If you're wondering why farmers choose to grow genetically modified crops, it helps to consider the challenges they face every day: crop loss from weeds, insects, and disease, and the effects of climate change such as drought, just to name a few. Not only do seeds improved through genetic modification help them combat these challenges, but it can help them to use less of our precious resources like water and land.

Are GMO Foods Safe?  Farmers are consumers too—and any one of them will tell you that stewardship of their land is among their core values. Scientists, for their part, place the highest priority on the safety of each product and conduct rigorous and demanding tests on each. In fact, GM seeds have been tested more than any other product in the history of agriculture—with no evidence of harm to humans, animals, or the environment. The data have been reviewed by hundreds of independent scientists and researchers globally.

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