lyndy650

What aircraft do you usually use for support operations?

Genetic modification isn't simply the forcing of unrelated genes into another plant. It is any and all changes to a plant's genome to achieve a goal. People have been doing it for millenia haphazardly, its how we have every single fruit and vegetable we enjoy in it's current form. Modern genetic modification simply identifies genes of interest with the desired effect, inserts (or deletes) them from the genome, resulting in a better overall plant. This identified approach is MUCH safer than genetic modification via random hybridization.

Would you rather your mechanic change 50 random parts of your car in hopes of making it run better? Or would you rather have the mechanic plug in a diagnostic tool, identify the area that needs to be improved, and fix it with 1 or two parts? I know which one I'd take.

Source: I'm a molecular biologist. MSc Biology.

I seriously don't understand the Monsanto hate. If people rip on them so much, why don't they also hate General Electric? And Bayer, Syngenta, DuPont, DOW, etc. They all profiteer off chemicals, medicine, and warfare, but yet Monsanto is everyones punching bag. At the end of the day they are a corporation, corporations want to make money. Theyre all inherently greedy.

Monsanto (and the other biotech ag firms) have also made valuable contributions to the world too through their crop sciences divisions. It's not all awful things that people spout off about. RoundUp ready plants reduce pesticide run-off by immense magnitudes and still provide yields necessary to support our populations. Glyphosate has still not been proven carcinogenic, if thats what you're going for as well. Golden Rice gives suffering countries the nutrients their people need. Bt series crops do the EXACT SAME THING as organic farms who use Bacillus thuringiensis as a pesticide, but rather than have the bacteria produce the Bt proteins, the plant has the bacterias genes and does it itself in response to stress.

GMO crops and their creators arent these big corporate boogeymen everyone tries to make them out to be. They are corporations, they act wholly through self interest, though they do act within the confines of strict governmental regulation in terms of crop and chemical safety. The US may be a bit more lax with things, but here in Canada they must pass stringent tests before being allowed to market anything.

TL;DR: Monsanto isn't the big evil kill-everyone corporation that people fear monger about. Biotech is complicated, people fear what they don't understand.

Source: I'm a molecular biologist with an MSc Biology.

I grew up in farming as well, nothing but Wisconsin corn and soybeans until I moved back to Canada.

I'm not trying to insult hybrid seeds and the labelling, just clarifying what the scientific definition of genetic modification is. A hybrid seed is genetically modified, no more, no less.

I wasn't "patting myself on the back", I just see so many armchair biologists anytime ag or biotechnology comes up so I thought I'd try to lend some credibility. It's what I've worked with and studied for years. I apologise for insulting your farming experience, that was not my intention. The condescention around my academic credentials was unneccesary.

That is quite incorrect, actually. Organic farming requires much more water, fertilizer (whatever form it may be), pesticides (yes they still use various pesticides in "organic" agriculture) and herbicides. These all contribute to a general reduction in soil health.