GMO Companies Go Home, Right?

Monsanto is the largest seed company in the world now, having acquired Seminis in 2005.  Monsanto not only sells more Biotech (GMO) seeds than any other business, but now (with the acquisition on Seminis) sells more garden variety (non GMO) seeds than any other company; and it is a multi-billion dollar business for them.

Popular Monsanto Seeds include Big Beef Tomato, Gold Rush Zucchini, Beefmaster Tomato, Ambrosia Melon…the list really does go on and on and on.

These seeds produce great fruits, and keep them coming…far more than heirloom/open-pollinated varieties do.  This begs the question: is it okay to support a company like Monsanto in any way?  Is it okay to support a company that is producing some of the wierdest seed varieties ever, which are cross-pollinating with our normal seeds and contaminating the seed gene-pool?  that is some scary stuff.

I wish that we could just do away with GMOs entirely.  Why do big-time farmers use them (I’ll answer my own question…because they think it makes them money…although George Naylor, a mid-western farmer of corn and soybeans, featured in The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, would disagree)?

A farmer friend of mine understands the dilemma.  These Monsanto garden veggie seeds really do make us more money through better production of exactly what the consumer has grown accustomed to - that picture perfect veggie that we all see at the supermarket.  Who’s going to pay us extra to grow varieties that they don’t necessarily want, and that don’t produce as abundantly?  Good question.

I really don’t want to support Monsanto, in any manner.  One local chef recommended supporting their good habits, not the bad ones.  Well, you know, there are plenty of farmers who are buying GMOs, so until they stop buying, Monsanto won’t stop producing.  And, I don’t want those GMO genes cross pollinating with my non-GMO varieties, ever.

Andrew

4 Responses to “GMO Companies Go Home, Right?”