The Farmer's Daughter USA

Hi, I'm Amanda! My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm also a practicing attorney.

Comments

    • TheFarmersDaughterUS says

      Ethan, thanks for the link. Unfortunately, weeds have been changing and evolving for as long as farmers have been trying to get rid of them. It isn't a problem solely connected to biotechnology. The "second generation" of GMO crops address this issue. Plus, let's not forget that biotechnology is bigger and more expansive than just controlling weeds!

  2. Anonymous says

    Henry I. Miller is a cigarette lobbyist. Please substantiate your made up statistics with real evidence, not something imagined buy a guy who claims cigarettes aren't linked to cancer.

  3. Anonymous says

    IF BIOTECHNOLOGY HAD NOT BEEN USED CHILDREN WOULD NOT BE GETTING SICKER NOW!!! Wake up from your brainewashed coma!

  4. Anonymous says

    Hi! Is there a link to the page supporting this information? I don't see one. Sorry if I've missed it.Thank!Jennifer

  5. kim in nebraska says

    I choose not to provide genetically engineered food for my family due to a lack of knowledge about what the long term effects of doing so would be. I applaud farmers but wish more would realize the benefits of organic farming, so many are held fast to the belief that adding more and more pesticides and weed killers is the only answer. There has been a substantial amount of extremely positive production after switching to organic farming after having used GE seeds… I would love to see this trend continue. Heirloom seeds have proven safe after centuries of use. I appreciate also that farming is a business. However, many people are beginning to push aside GE crops for organic ones. That being said, even if statistics as provided here state that without biotechnology more crops would have been necessary, that production does no good if pushed aside. I also hope that more research towards GE, rather than less, would be a goal for all of America. Thank you for being a farmer's daughter and farmer but I do hope you consider the necessity for research before GE crops completely change the future farm landscape.

    • TheFarmersDaughterUS says

      Kim, thanks for you comments and your concerns. There are a few things that I feel need to be addressed in your comment, which I think might actually put your mind at ease over these issues. 1. There have been over 2,000 studies that have concluded that genetically modified food is safe. There is no danger to humans or the environment. On the other hand, there has never been a SINGLE scientific study finding the contrary. Never. I suggest you check out this article I wrote (and includes a link to those studies): <a href="https://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2014/07/just-ignore-those-2000-studies-showing.htmlhttps://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2014/07/just… />2. We do not believe that adding more and more chemicals is the only answer. In fact, we try really hard not to apply more than we have to. Why? Because it's expensive. It is also highly regulated and any applicator has to be licensed and trained to do so. Furthermore, we would never put more spray on our fields if it could jeopardize the health of our soil or contaminate our food. The land is our legacy and we're eating the same food we're producing. 3. Organic farming sounds nice, but in my opinion, it is an arbitrary distinction that has been used. Did you know that organic farming also uses pesticides? In many instances, the chemicals used in organic farming are actually MORE toxic to humans and the environment because they're old and outdated. While conventional farmers have been improving the stuff we use on our crops to promote safety, efficiency, and contain costs, organic is still using all that nasty stuff from the 1970's. I've blogged about this here: <a href="https://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2013/06/organic-pesticides.htmlhttps://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2013/06/orga… />4. Heirloom seeds are actually not that good. I am trying to get a post together on this soon, so I will leave it at this for now.5. People are not pushing genetically modified crops to the side for organic crops, at least not normal and rational people. If they are being pushed aside, it is simply because of the fear that has been spread around by radical anti-science groups. That IS sad, especially when they would allow a child to go hungry instead of feed them food that has been repeatedly shown to be safe. 6. It takes millions of dollars and years of research to get a biotech product approved by the FDA. There is plenty of science required for that process. Every single biotech product that has been approved by the FDA had to first prove that it was a safe product, which it did. I certainly welcome more testing on GMOs because I am confident they will always support their use.7. Finally, I would like to point out to you that organic yields are much, much lower than even conventional non-GMO yields. In fact, AT BEST, they are only 2/3 the yields. We already don't have enough food in this world to feed every hungry person. Are you going to tell 1/3 of the people living today that their share of food is gone because you want to follow some arbitrary, outdated way of farming? I certainly hope not. I think you might appreciate these links as well (all links to my site, so they are safe; all the links include sources): https://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2014/07/penn-teller-bs-organic.htmlhttps://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2012/04/if-youve-been-to-grocery-store-lately.htmlhttps://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2013/07/not-enough-food-for-future-organic-isnt.htmlThanks for stopping by! I honestly hope you'll consider some of the resources I've given you.