NOBULL: Farmers of the Year tell the truth about the myth of “co-existence” with GMO crops
Friends and Colleagues: am just back from THE Organic Farming Conference in Lacrosse, WI, where we celebrated MOSES 25th anniversary (www.mosesorganic.org) with 3000+ attendees and growing. The farmers of the year – Dan and Theresa Podoll, and David and Ginger Podoll — live in Fullerton, North Dakota, where they produce a diversity of grains and organic vegetable seeds. They support the kind of food system that promotes health, reduces health care costs, and contributes to ecosystem services (biodiversity, clean air, water and rich, fertile soil), and vital rural communities – sustainable wealth.
Now, they need us. They and other non-GMO farmers, not to mention fans of fresh, local food and wine, are facing a dire threat from the newly proposed 2,4-D and Dicamba-resistant GMO crops coming down the “pipeline.”
After their presentation in which the Podolls described their farming methods and showed images of mouth-watering tomatoes, squash, and more, they spoke about their fear for the future.
Please listen to their comments, share with your networks, and let’s mobilize an effort to bust the myth of “co-existence.”
Note: Tonight is the deadline for comments to USDA. We should not be forced into thinking co-existence is an option. It’s merely a smoke-screen word for contamination of our sacred seeds and food:
FYI: A related report on contamination.
Coming up: March 11th is the deadline for sending comments to USDA on 2,4-D resistant crops. Just as a friendly reminder, 2,4-D was one of the two main ingredients in Agent Orange, the toxic defoliant used in Viet Nam, which soldiers (and families) of that time period are still suffering from – diabetes, prostate cancer, birth defects, etc. 2,4-D is an endocrine disruptor. We already have data showing risks of birth defects among children living in regions where the herbicide is used. Here is one example:
“Birth malformations and other adverse prenatal outcomes in four U.S. Wheat-producing states,” Schreinemachers, D., Environmental Health Perspectives, July 2003.
Melinda Hemmelgarn
Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D.
Food Sleuth®, LLC…"helping people think beyond their plates"
Columbia, MO
foodsleuth
Former Food and Society Policy Fellow
Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service Board: www.mosesorganic.org/
Organic Farming Research Foundation Board: www.ofrf.org
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