GM Alfalfa Deregulated: Our Responsibility

Continued from Part One:  GM Alfalfa Deregulated: An Organic Farm Responds

It is possible, then, to consider using alfalfa that is not held to seed in the proposed buffer zone to protect alfalfa that is meant for saving, harvesting and sprouting. With proper planning, possibly, that could take part in determining the solution of  "coexistence" between genetically modified and organic crops for the immediate term at least in crops that are not to go to seed.

That which is grown for fodder doesn't include alfalfa that is actually grown for seed to either save or to make things like sprouts, which is a highly popular commercial product. So this side of the argument, really only covers the alfalfa that is grown for fodder which is commonly understood as the bulk of alfalfa production.

Still, no matter how "safe" genetically modified anything is, the fact remains that genetically modified technology is owned, licensed and proprietary technology.

So maybe what's most concerning is not that alfalfa is or is not harmful to the organic farming community so much as the outright deregulation of it as precedent, despite consumer (and many small farmers') concerns. It doesn't seem to make sense that something patented should not be at least regulated, if even in production.

Whether GMO technology is safe for human consumption is still up on the board; certainly the makers of said patented products will tell you that GMOs are "essentially the same" as "food," but as the processed food industry gains strength in the market, it becomes increasingly difficult for many people to even know what "food" is. The USDA doesn't seem to be making much of a distinction between product and food; therefore, their opinion of what is and is not food or safe, is of no concern to the critical consumer.

The fact is now that alfalfa, along with several other cash crops, has been deregulated, we have to figure out what to do about it.

Our role as consumers is important and will make a difference, but we have to be unified and continuous. The farmers we choose to support will support our ideals: If everyone restricts certain types of  conventionally-grown food known to be indicative of patented technology like meats or dairy (alfalfa), corn, soy, sugar or even cotton (cottonseed oil), by at least 2 days a week, we could send a very strong message to industrial farmers. And it doesn't even mean that a person can't have those things at all on those two days; rather, on those days we choose strictly ethical, small -production local, or if that is not an option, organic.

The only way that industrial farms can hear us is by the sounds of our coins in their pockets. The less jingling they hear, the more they are able to hear our opinions. And certainly in today's broken economy, it's not hard to imagine restricting ourselves just a little more. Every bit counts, so make it yours.

Photo credit: The Akermarks