Posted on 02/03/2015 2:05:59 PM PST by Theoria
Last spring, for the first time in 20 years, Indiana farmer Jim Benham planted his fields entirely with soybean seeds that hadn’t been genetically modified to withstand herbicides.
It wasn’t because the 63-year-old suddenly had embraced the anti-GMO movement. Instead, he was drawn to a nearly 14% per-bushel premium for non-GMO soybeans offered by a local grain terminal, which sells them to Asian feed processors.
Mr. Benham is among a small but growing number of Midwestern farmers moving away from biotech seeds developed by Monsanto Co. , DuPont Co. and other companies in response to lower crop prices over the past two years that have slashed farm profits.
More U.S. consumers are seeking out non-GMO foods, which proponents perceive as healthier and friendlier to the environment. Retail sales of GMO-free cereal, salad dressing, eggs and other food products increased 15% to $9.6 billion last year, among the fastest-growing U.S. food segments, according to market-research firm Nielsen NV. Nielsen sharply increased its non-GMO food sales estimate last year after incorporating a broader range of products and stores.
Fueling the trend are packaged-food companies such as General Mills Inc. and Post Holdings Inc. that have moved to strip genetically modified ingredients from some products.
Food companies pay extra for non-GMO grain and oilseeds due to the relatively small supply and the cost of separating those crops from the genetically modified versions that dominate the U.S. Farm Belt.
“I was profitable because I made the switch,” said Mr. Benham, who farms near Versailles, Ind. “In our business margins are so critical that we chase a dollar anytime we can.”
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
“I want it to be grown in soil that has been tested and chemically fertilized for the crop being grown and kept bug free with pesticides!!! “
EXACTLY!!!! Just the way God intended!!!
all organic is non GMO so buy it..................
Lol, this subject really eats at you. As much as it seems to bother you, some, and actually most, non-GMO is non-organic. Very few fruits and vegetables are GMO now, and only a small portion of those are organic. No GMO wheat being used yet, or very little. And very little wheat is organic.
True of most plants used as food.
Eight crops – corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, alfalfa, sugar beets, papaya and squash – are available from GM seeds for commercial use in the U.S.
www.fooddialogues.com/foodsource/gmo
Of course, GMOs fed to animals and used in processed food are the biggest sources in the current food supply.
Yes and the best part is you can just save some seeds from your crop for the next year. I grew some awesome huge tomatoes in containers last summer. Can’t wait til it warms up to get going again.
Just remember to save seeds from only known heirloom. Others can produce some funky stuff. Believe me, I tried. :-)
Yes the hybrid stuff does not re-propagate very well.
So what is your problem? You are intelligent and know what is GMO and what is not and can buy what you want. Are you just complaining with your mouth full?
I laugh at the labels on rice. Big letters, NON GMO RICE. There is no GMO rice.
These are marketing ploys to manipulate.
You may not like GMO but I will tell you that without it we would be in a world of hurt.
It may not be a perfect food production system but it is the BEST in the WORLD and in HISTORY.
Stop complaining and implement your choices. You don’t like GMO, then buy organic. All organics is (suppose) to be non GMO.
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