There is no reason to fear GMOs

At Sunday night's Farm to Table event (see the page 1 story) the question was posed, “How many of you grew up on a farm?”
Nearly half the people in the room put a hand in the air. Considering it was an event hosted in part by corn and soybean growers, this was no surprise.
And we're a farming community after all. ...
Then came the question, “How many of you today are actively engaged in farming?”
In the room of nearly 100 people, fewer than 20 raised their hands.
Even though we're a farming community affected greatly by the farm economy, there aren't that many of us actually on the farm.
Fewer and fewer farmers are producing more and more ag commodities.
Technology has played a big role in this — bigger equipment with smarter computers can accommodate increasing numbers of acres.
And the science of farming has also improved. The reason our farmers today can produce more corn and soybeans on fewer acres is that seeds are engineered to withstand the rigors of climate, pests and disease.
Deeper roots, stronger stalks and hardier pods and ears add up to more soybeans and corn in the bin at the end of the growing season.
It's the same technology that allows tomatoes to be larger and firmer and apples to stay crisper longer (resistant to browning).
And it's all thanks to genetic engineering, also known as genetically modified organisms — or GMOs.
Because GMOs are in the food chain, many question their safety, and some countries are requiring food companies to label products that have GMOs. (Most commercially produced foods are genetically modified.)
Amid all the fear and controversy, there is yet to be scientific evidence that GMOs are harmful for human consumption. To the contrary, the National Academy of Science released a report this spring that asserts there's no reason to fear GMOs.
And debates almost always include the point that hardier crops need fewer chemicals to thrive. Now that's something we can all appreciate.
This discussion came to the table Sunday night at The Bluestem during the event that was intended to be educational.
And the crowd was agreeably friendly to agriculture. As one farmer put it, “Luverne isn't a hotbed of activism.”
But we don't always hang out in Luverne, and there are many regions of the globe where the only farming information comes by way of social media — where the scare tactics get attention and are shared with no science to back up assertions.
So while it's true Sunday's presenters may have been preaching to the choir, we all left the room a little better equipped to share the right agriculture message with those outside of the choir loft.