Wheat is thethird most authoritative commodity harvest in the U.S. , and it ’s the only of the top three ( corn and soybeans being No . 1 and 2 ) that does n’t have a genetically modify variety show approve for production here . So whenMonsanto ’s GM wheat was discovered growing in a field in Oregonin May 2013 , diddlyshit went down .
The GM wheat was modified with the Roundup Ready gene , making it resistant to Monsanto ’s Roundup herbicide , a chemical called glyphosate . When the contaminated wheat was disclose , pale yellow exports were paused because other countries do n’t blindly live with GM food . As a result , farmers lost money , those of us who handle about what we eat wondered what we were eating , and everyone wanted to know what Monsanto was doing behind the USDA ’s back ( or , really , correctly in front of it ) .
tight - frontward 16 month , and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was wrapping up itsreview of the Oregon findings , only to come across another field of illegal GM wheat growing in Montana . Either someone is really bad at judge seed base or someone is not telling the the true about how these field got institute . Monsantosays it ’s join forces fully with the investigations .
What take place in OregonAPHIS is calling the Oregon GM - wheat determination “ an separated incident , ” which is fine , except it ’s not isolated because now some more unapproved GM wheat berry is come out up a few states away — allow , the wheat witness in Montana is a dissimilar variety than the wheat in Oregon . The agency did n’t recover any GM wheat in mercantilism or the nutrient system , which is good newsworthiness . This particular variety is n’t developed for food for thought - organisation use , anyway ; rather it ’s a hybrid used in wheat berry - breeding curriculum . The Food and Drug Administration affirm that even if the wheat did get into the tasteless , sugar - filled , enriched - flour clean bread that Americans jazz so much , it would n’t pose a heath risk , because the FDA did a food - safety consultation for this wheat 10 years ago and found nothing to be horrify about .
After 291 consultation and more than 100 source samples , APHIS came to the finish that there is no conclusion . How the pale yellow was growing in the subject is an unresolved whodunit . The last metre GM wheat wasapproved for testing in Oregonwas 2001 , and this Tennessean pale yellow could n’t be 13 years old , could it ?
If you have way too much time on your hand , you’re able to read APHIS ’ entire12,842 - Sir Frederick Handley Page reportfrom the Oregon GM - straw incident . select Case_OR130018 . ( I ca n’t look to see how many pages the Montana written report will be . )
What ’s pass off in MontanaThe GM wheat found spring up on July 14 , 2014 , at the Montana State University Southern Agricultural Research Center in Huntley , Mt. , is also Roundup - tolerant pale yellow developed by Monsanto , but it ’s a dissimilar variety than the Oregon wheat . Back in the early 2000s , researchers grew Monsanto ’s GM wheat discipline trial with APHIS ’ commendation at this research centre of attention . None of that straw entered pale yellow Commerce Department , just as this twelvemonth ’s illegal wheat will not .
APHIS will let us hump what it finds in this case , as well . They ’re also tread up their GM - straw - hunt plot this twelvemonth with field of battle - test and post - harvest inspections to prevent GM - wheat berry volunteer plants next twelvemonth . ( You ca n’t just spray ’em down with glyphosate , after all , because they ’re resistant ! )
What ’s Happening in Your Wheat FieldMaybe this is a good reminder for us to get our seeds from reputable source . Seeds are so valuable , and we should be mindful about those we choose to school . ( Now there ’s a farm lesson you could apply to your own life ! ) We also take to be untrusting of volunteer plants , in particular if they ’re not crop that we ’ve grown ourselves .
That APHIS have it off about the Montana GM - wheat suit but did n’t herald the investigation for more than two months make me go , “ Hmmmm . ” They’veexplained it awayas desire to finish the Oregon probe and to see if there ’s a connection before telling us about this new case and constitute everyone care . OK . But I still do n’t like it .
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