Longhorn

There have been some interesting new developments with the USDA.   First there is the good news that the USDA has finally declared they are dropping the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)[1].  I was so happy that for once I was actually feeling a little better about a government agency though I don’t for a minute trust them that NAIS won’t be back with a different name.  It’s easy to believe the USDA is up to no good, business as usual, especially in the light of the latest development concerning genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. Once again they’ve ignored public opinion and our best interests in favor of agri-giant Monsanto.  They’ve approved Monsanto’s Genetically Engineered alfalfa[2], again, with blatant disregard for the growing concern over the safety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

First let’s discuss the good news with a little background on NAIS.  Thanks to many years of following the efforts of like minded farmers, lawyers and friends in fighting the may USDA encroachments onto our rights I have learned to distrust the USDA and most government agencies.   I learned about NAIS and what it would do to the small farmer, destroying their way of life and the agricultural backbone of the United States all in one fell swoop.  I watched with despair and dismay at the USDA’s underhanded actions, attempting backdoor passage and outright lying to farmers as they enrolled them against their will in a program they did not want.  All of these actions were committed in an effort to force the passage of NAIS passing despite great upheaval and opposition by the American farmers and people. I was surprised to see their callous disregard for the well-being of the American people, the farmers of the United States and the corruption that seems to be pandemic within the myriad agencies created, supposedly, to protect the public.  It was through this that I learned just how corrupt our government is now and how important it is that we hold them accountable.

I will not go into all the details of what makes the NAIS such a deplorable program for the typical American Farmer but will leave that up to others much better qualified.  You can read the NoNAIS.org website as well as the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund’s website. They have dedicated many resources to fighting tyranny.

It was with great interested and excitement that I read today the USDA is going to drop the dreaded NAIS program.  They’ve been trying for years to force this outrageous animal monitoring system on the American farmers that would include cost and time prohibitive paperwork and documentation which would effectively have shut down most small producers.

Now, I am not trusting of the USDA at this point and I do wonder if this isn’t a smoke screen of some kind.  It is as important now as ever that we support those who fought NAIS as they continue to watch the USDA to try and prevent any other such regulation proposals.

Now onto the bad news.  Once again the USDA shows us how they cater to the big corporations and agribusinesses.  Monsanto has gotten approval for more controversial, and potentially dangerous, Genetically Modified Alfalfa.  As we’ve seen with other GMOs cross contamination is a serious issue and those of us who want to avoid GMOs are finding it increasingly difficult when crops are contaminated from drifting seed or pollen from GMO crops.  Add to this problem there are farmers who are victims of this cross contamination but are being sued by Monsanto for violation of their patent rights when Monsanto and their farmers are to blame for tainting fields.  Another concern is the growing evidence that the recent honey bee deaths and disease could be in large part due to the genetically engineered crops[3].  Jack McDonald and other scientists are working to identify exactly how the bees are being affected but it is clear that the GE crops are killing our honey bees, if indirectly and bees are an important part of the eco-system of every farm.

Alfalfa Field

Besides these issues there are also the obvious problems with Roundup itself.  In South America ‘Roundup Ready’ crops are causing serious health concerns as vast areas are sprayed now that GM soybeans are being planted with such frequency.  Round Up has been linked to cancer[4] and other health issues and the more GM crops that are “Roundup Ready” that are planted the more our environment will be polluted with cancer causing herbicides.

Roundup also creates “super weeds” that are increasingly resistant to herbicides thus requiring more and more potent, and toxic, herbicides in order to kill them[5].  Already these superweeds are becoming a serious threat in America’s heartland[6].  There are better, traditional, farming methods to reduce problems with weeds that do not include poisoning farmers, neighbors and the environment.

Lastly, there are the far-reaching effects on the economy that GMO alfalfa will have on the US market.  Japan exports their hay from the United States but because of their laws banning untested GMOs from entering the country all USA grown hay could lose this extremely large market share.  This is a staggering amount considering that 75% of the hay exported from the United States goes to Japan.[7]

So, once again we need you to help us take action against Monsanto and the USDA.  We’ve stopped the GM Alfalfa before thanks to protests and a court ruling.  The USDA has not met the burden of proof that GM alfalfa does not pose a threat to agriculture and health and it’s time we held them accountable.  You can find various petitions online but here are a few links to some we have signed.

http://www.organicvalley.coop/index.php?id=2276

http://www.organicvalley.coop/index.php?id=2276

Information on how to submit your own comments to the USDA.

http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/GMO

[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18206234

[4] http://www.organicconsumers.org/Monsanto/glyphocancer.cfm

[5] http://webs.chasque.net/~rapaluy1/transgenicos/Prensa/Roundupready.html

[6] http://www.france24.com/en/20090418-superweed-explosion-threatens-monsanto-heartlands-genetically-modified-US-crops

[7] “ISSUES WITH GMO ALFALFA IN THE MARKETPLACE” William T. W. Woodward – http://www.wa-hay.org/publications/Issues%20With%20GMO%20Alfalfa%20in%20the%20Marketplace.pdf