Comments on: Going to MOSES http://www.biofortified.org/2010/02/going-to-moses/ Stronger plants, stronger science, and stronger communication. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:17:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Karl Haro von Mogel http://www.biofortified.org/2010/02/going-to-moses/#comment-1888 Karl Haro von Mogel Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:56:48 +0000 http://www.biofortified.org/?p=2466#comment-1888 I too, have accidentally ran into field corn kernels hiding in sweet corn ears. Not fun. Essentially, the problem I see is that people are trying to apply an artificial human concept, Liability, (incl. patents) to the vagaries of nature. Monsanto first wanted to sue over low levels of GE pollen drift, and now perhaps the organic folks want to sue back... same problem. I wasn't there very long this evening, but I talked to a sweet corn farmer who also grows field corn and we actually talked a bit about this. And he understood my point about the risk of assigning blame to the pollen source as a rule, and I suggested that it could in turn be used against organic farmers in the future when the genes that their crops spread around are unwanted in some other farmer's field. I'm hoping to start a dialogue with the lawyer from the CFS because I would really like to understand what their best argument is. And it looks like they let Frank in, I saw him checking out some seed potatoes! I too, have accidentally ran into field corn kernels hiding in sweet corn ears. Not fun.

Essentially, the problem I see is that people are trying to apply an artificial human concept, Liability, (incl. patents) to the vagaries of nature. Monsanto first wanted to sue over low levels of GE pollen drift, and now perhaps the organic folks want to sue back… same problem.

I wasn’t there very long this evening, but I talked to a sweet corn farmer who also grows field corn and we actually talked a bit about this. And he understood my point about the risk of assigning blame to the pollen source as a rule, and I suggested that it could in turn be used against organic farmers in the future when the genes that their crops spread around are unwanted in some other farmer’s field.

I’m hoping to start a dialogue with the lawyer from the CFS because I would really like to understand what their best argument is.

And it looks like they let Frank in, I saw him checking out some seed potatoes!

]]> By: Anastasia Bodnar http://www.biofortified.org/2010/02/going-to-moses/#comment-1887 Anastasia Bodnar Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:50:25 +0000 http://www.biofortified.org/?p=2466#comment-1887 Oooh Karl. I think you just hit upon something big. Sweet corn pollinated by field corn is seriously GROSS. I happily harvested, boiled, and salted some big beautiful "sweet" corn ears from the edge of our sweet corn patch in the middle of our (non-transgenic) experimental plot. I was in a hurry, I wasn't really thinking about what plants pollinated the ear I was planning to eat... and boy did I learn my lesson. Thereafter I started harvesting sweet corn from at least 2 plants in. I imagine that sweet corn farmers have to plant border rows on the edges of their plots to ensure that their customers don't get the yucky experience that I did. Do they blame their neighbors growing non-sweet corn for their pollen contaminating the sweet corn? According to anti-biotech advocates, the farmers should sue! Oooh Karl. I think you just hit upon something big. Sweet corn pollinated by field corn is seriously GROSS. I happily harvested, boiled, and salted some big beautiful “sweet” corn ears from the edge of our sweet corn patch in the middle of our (non-transgenic) experimental plot. I was in a hurry, I wasn’t really thinking about what plants pollinated the ear I was planning to eat… and boy did I learn my lesson. Thereafter I started harvesting sweet corn from at least 2 plants in.

I imagine that sweet corn farmers have to plant border rows on the edges of their plots to ensure that their customers don’t get the yucky experience that I did. Do they blame their neighbors growing non-sweet corn for their pollen contaminating the sweet corn? According to anti-biotech advocates, the farmers should sue!

]]> By: Karl Haro von Mogel http://www.biofortified.org/2010/02/going-to-moses/#comment-1878 Karl Haro von Mogel Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:50:01 +0000 http://www.biofortified.org/?p=2466#comment-1878 Yeah it seems like a weird combo - I wonder if that's a consequence of the 'two lenses' approach - if it isn't organic it's the biotech-industrial complex? Naturally, I'm curious what the talk will be about. I'm very curious to see the lawyer's best legal argument about pollen flow - might be very educational, to say the least. And in other news, sweet corn farmers sue over field corn pollen drift... Yeah it seems like a weird combo – I wonder if that’s a consequence of the ‘two lenses’ approach – if it isn’t organic it’s the biotech-industrial complex? Naturally, I’m curious what the talk will be about.

I’m very curious to see the lawyer’s best legal argument about pollen flow – might be very educational, to say the least. And in other news, sweet corn farmers sue over field corn pollen drift…

]]> By: Anastasia Bodnar http://www.biofortified.org/2010/02/going-to-moses/#comment-1874 Anastasia Bodnar Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:13:45 +0000 http://www.biofortified.org/?p=2466#comment-1874 Oh, I just noticed something - why does Dr. Mellon's talk cover antibiotic resistance? It has nothing to do with biotech. I get that that's part of what their Food and Environment Program studies, but that sounds like an awful lot to cover for one talk. Man, I wish I was there, I am so jealous! Oh, I just noticed something – why does Dr. Mellon’s talk cover antibiotic resistance? It has nothing to do with biotech. I get that that’s part of what their Food and Environment Program studies, but that sounds like an awful lot to cover for one talk. Man, I wish I was there, I am so jealous!

]]> By: Anastasia Bodnar http://www.biofortified.org/2010/02/going-to-moses/#comment-1873 Anastasia Bodnar Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:00:55 +0000 http://www.biofortified.org/?p=2466#comment-1873 Woah "While evidence mounts to show that GMOs harm humans, fail to increase crop yields" I hope they back that up with something more than Serralini and Benbrook! Woah “While evidence mounts to show that GMOs harm humans, fail to increase crop yields” I hope they back that up with something more than Serralini and Benbrook!

]]>