From Karon Finn
Creston
The following is a quote from an article by Jill Richardson titled “Approval of New Chemical-Resistant GMOs Likely to Prompt Pesticide Escalation.”
“A decade and a half after farmers began planting the first genetically engineered (GE) crops, the future is clear. The scientists who pioneered genetic engineering thought of themselves as environmentalists, creating products that could reduce pesticide use. Instead, they have simply perpetuated the same ‘pesticide treadmill’ as their pesticide-peddling counterparts resulting in the application of a greater volume of ever more toxic pesticides.”
One of the genetically modified organisms (GMOs) used for years is Roundup Ready. Roundup Ready crops are engineered so that they can survive being sprayed by glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup.
We’ve seen what nearly 20 years of reliance on Monsanto’s Roundup Ready has brought us — over 70 million acres of farmland infested with Roundup Ready resistant “superweeds.” One of the “superweeds” is palmer amaranth, a monster of a weed that grows seven feet tall and produces up to half a million seeds per plant. The weed can grow three inches a day, and it’s thought by some to be tough enough to damage farm machinery.
Forbes Magazine, Sept. 18, 2014, states Dow Chemical Company has received approval from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to commercialize its “Enlist” corn and soybean seeds in the United States. The seeds are genetically modified to tolerate the new herbicide from Dow called Enlist Duo. This herbicide contains 2,4-Dhlorophenoxyacetic acid that adds another mode of action to the glyphosate based herbicide.
Monsanto has developed another herbicide tolerant system called Roundup Ready Xtend. The Roundup Ready Xtend herbicide adds dicamba as an alternate action of the glyphosate based Roundup herbicide to be used with Roundup Ready seeds that can tolerate application of dicamba, as well as glyphosate. On Jan. 15, 2015, USDA approved Monsanto’s dicamba resistant seeds. All signs point to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moving swiftly to approve Monsanto’s dicamba herbicide that goes with their seeds.
Dicamba is a developmental or reproductive toxin and 2,4-D was one of the two chemicals that made up Agent Orange, the toxic defoliant the United States sprayed in Vietnam. Monsanto and Dow are the only two chemical companies that produce dicamba. Instead of learning from mistakes the answer seems to be to multiply the problems. Isn’t there a better way to grow our crops? Is the “pesticide treadmill” the way to protect our air, water, soil and ourselves?