Resisting Roundrup
A vast majority of soybeans and corn planted in this country, and in much of the world, are genetically engineered, and the technology is rapidly pushing its way into many more crops.
For farmers, the benefits are real — with these seeds they can spend less time plowing and cultivating and can use more benign agricultural chemicals to kill weeds. But according to a recent report from the National Research Council, there are also signs of trouble, chief among them the appearance in various parts of the country of herbicide-resistant weeds.
Resisting Roundrup, NY TIMES, Genetically Modified Food (GMF), May 16, 2010
Full Link for the complete Aricle: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/opinion/17mon3.html?ref=genetically_modified_food
Genetically Engineered Distortions
More than 80 percent of the corn, soybeans and cotton grown in the United States is genetically engineered, and a report by the National Research Council, details the “long and impressive list of benefits” that has come from these crops, including improved soil quality, reduced erosion and reduced insecticide use.
It also confirmed predictions that widespread cultivation of these crops would lead to the emergence of weeds resistant to a commonly used herbicide, glyphosate. Predictably, both sides have done what they do best when it comes to genetically engineered crops: they’ve argued over the findings.
By Pamela C. Ronald and James E. McWilliams, Genetically Engineered Distortions, NY Times, May 14, 2010.
Full link for this Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/15/opinion/15ronald.html?ref=genetically_modified_food
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