Make Mine GMO Salmon

Frankenfish  is coming! At least that is what we have heard from the media all week. After many years of testing and debate the FDA has approved genetically modified salmon. Thus the popular media and anti-gmo groups have adhered themselves to the term frankenfish. It is kind of hard to win the public opinion war when the first thing the consumer hears is frankenfish.

The true name of this salmon is AquAdvantage salmon. This gmo salmon is the first animal to come to the market as a gmo. It was developed using genes from a Chinook salmon and an eel. The main benefit of this salmon is a higher growth rate of somewhere around two times that of a non-genetically modified salmon. This development has been in development for years and this week the FDA approved it saying it poses no threat to human health or the environment.

Of course the anti-gmo crowd has come out in force to oppose this release and has asked for the gmo salmon to be labeled. The FDA was very clear in its statement on the AquAdvantage salmon saying that it isafe for human consumption as non-genetically engineered salmon and just as nutritious. However, this did not stop the anti-gmo groups from passing along unfounded fears and theories about the safety of gmo products like AquAdvantage salmon.

In addition to making sure the salmon was safe for us to eat, environmental concerns had to be accounted for also. Would this superior fish over run wild fish if it were to be released? The FDA also assured the public that this would not be a concern. The fish are to be raised inland were they cannot be released into the wild. The biggest safeguard to environmental concerns is the fact that more than 99% of the fish are rendered sterile because of the genetic modification. The very minute percentages that are fertile are not really a threat either because they are not nearly as fertile as native, wild salmon.

Of course fishermen were also opposed and very leery of the genetically modified salmon. I certainly understand their trepidation. This new fish will come to the market much faster and at a much lower price thus undermining their business. I have sympathy for their plight but I think that probably a strong market for wild caught salmon will always exist.  How else would you make the menu at a high end restaurant sound sophisticated? I also think that it is important to have choices for the consumer.

However, just as with other foods that come from genetically engineered plants and animals, I wish people would do their homework and understand that it is perfectly safe and affords us many benefits. First, this allows us to produce more food, quicker and with fewer resources. We desperately need to increase food production in the near future just to keep up with demand. This allows us to do so while still be able to responsibly manage the wild population of salmon.

Secondly, from a nutrition viewpoint, it allows more people to purchase salmon. OK, this may seem odd coming from a beef producer, but I do appreciate the health benefits of fish and specifically salmon. Salmon at a lower price and greater abundance allows more people to purchase a safe, nutritious product. As for its competition with beef, I truly believe that we need to eat a varied diet.

The trick to this debate comes with the idea of mandatory labeling of gmo products. Here we walk the fine line of giving the consumer what they want and generating unneeded attention and adding to unfounded fears. GMO products and non-gmo products are no different when it comes to food safety or nutrition and therefore do not merit a difference in labeling.

The main issue with AquAdvantage salmon is the same as the issue of gmo corn or soybeans. There is a lot of misinformation floating around and many unfounded fears fueled by groups and individuals with their own agendas. We must continue to help the general population understand that food derived from genetically modified organisms is safe and is highly regulated, debated and researched before it ever comes to the market.

Finally, I admit that I do enjoy a good piece of salmon and I have no qualms about eating AquAdvantage salmon. In fact, I would bet that none of us could tell the difference in a blind taste test. Many grocery stores are now shying away from carrying this product in their meat case. I will give my business to stores that do not cower to the fear mongering of a few activists and I will have no problem purchasing and grilling that salmon for my family.

A Success of a Failure!

I should have probably aborted the trip before it ever started. Traveling the end of April when I should have been getting cows out to grass probably set me up for failure. However, my wonderful, talented wife and wise, hard-working father (I am still trying to make amends) were there to carry on without me (and probably more capably). My flight departed at 4:45 from Kansas City, we had time to work the cows and calves at my house through that morning, or so we thought.

All I needed to do was to leave the house at noon; if we started right away it would be a piece of cake. Well, it was a piece of something all right, but it wasn’t cake. Actually things weren’t going too bad. The cows didn’t want to come in too bad but we eventually got them. My new idea on how to run them through the chute didn’t work too hot either, however, we fell into a rhythm and things were moving along.

Things were moving along right up until the cow pushed her way through the head catch and lodged her hips in the gate. After about 45 minutes of mechanic work we finally unbolted most of the head catch and freed the cow. This was all just in time to watch the cows in the cull pen go over the gate and mingle with the rest of the herd. Needless to say it was after noon when I got into the house and took a much needed shower (there was no way I would have been allowed on the plane without one).

I am not a fast driver, but that day I was. I stood for fifteen minutes waiting on a shuttle bus from the parking lot (on the return trip, three buses would be lined up at my stop); it was going to be a miracle if I made my flight. I am happy to report that due to some very helpful people on my shuttle I walked onto my 4:45 flight at about 4:44 still putting my belt through the belt loops. I had made it.

My trip was to Louisville (Kentucky not Kansas) and I was quickly reminded that it was Derby week right away. My Uber driver (for those of you who don’t know, Uber is like a cab, only better) told me all about how Oaks Day was like a holiday and that no school or business would be open tomorrow. I asked about getting a cab or Uber the next day. He assured me it would be no problem. The next morning I waited 45 minutes for a cab driver to pick me up, paid an outrageous fee, only to have him drop me off in the wrong place. That is when I contacted the next Uber driver.

He picked me up after the meeting I was going to had already started. I was frazzled and annoyed. He made small talk with me and found out I was a farmer from Kansas. He told me he was a personal trainer when he wasn’t an Uber driver. Then he asked me if I grew GMO crops. My first thought was, oh great, travel difficulties now this. I prepared myself for a debate on the health and safety of foods made with GMO crops.

I explained to him the benefits of GMO crops; how they helped us grow more food, with fewer inputs and less impact on the environment. I also explained that no credible research had ever proven that there was any kind of risk associated with them at all. That is when he cut me off and told me that he had done his own research and came to the same conclusion and that he told this to all of the people he was a personal trainer for. I asked him if he had any kind of a farm background and he did not. My day was made and my trip was no longer a failure.

Maybe, just maybe people are starting to see through all of the noise and misinformation. This Uber driver/ personal trainer from Louisville, Kentucky gave me hope that all of the hard work we are doing in putting forth solid information and telling our story might just be working. Now the rest of my trip did not go any better. My meeting did not go real well, I waited for my flight in the Louisville airport for five hours and I had a middle seat on the flight home but somehow it all seemed worth it.

Farmer, GMO Grower and Environmentalist

I consider myself an environmentalist. I know the image of an environmentalist is not good, especially in farm and ranch country. Ideas of tree hugging, shaggy haired, sandal wearing hippy types are probably the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe it’s the suit and tie urbanites who joined the cause because it was the trendy thing to do. Maybe, just maybe the first thing that should come to mind when the word environmentalist is mentioned should be those of us farming and ranching.

The idea that I am an environmentalist comes to me several times each year. Last week I proudly thought of myself as an environmentalist as we planted corn. Yes, it was Round-up Ready, triple stacked, genetically engineered corn that some other would-be environmentalists might consider harmful to our environment. However, in my mind they are wrong.

The Round-up Ready, triple stack corn seed I planted last week very much helps me protect the precious environment around me. Genetically engineered corn allows me to not till my soil. Over the past six years that Dad and I have been planting no-till our soil has began to build itself back to the same texture and properties that it before it was first plowed. I have seen an increase in the amount of earth worms and organic matter on the surface of my fields.

I have seen the erosion of top soil in my fields decrease dramatically to nearly nothing. Water is slowed by the residue of past years crops and does not run off at nearly the rate it used too. This also allows me to catch more of the rainfall for my crops. It also means less runoff going into our creeks, rivers and reservoirs. I am sure all of you know about the problems our reservoirs have with runoff and silt. This also lessens the nutrient loads being delivered to our lakes and makes them healthier. While I am at it, I want to commend those who have but buffer strips in, that is taking environmentalism to the next level.

No-till also allows me to make far fewer passes over our fields. This decreases the amount of fuel we use. Last time I checked decreasing the amount of fossil fuels used was one of the things environmentalists lobbied for. Because of our genetically engineered crops we are not just talking about using less fossil fuel, we are doing it. If you are one of my fellow producers using cover crops to lessen their need for fertilizers and improve soil. This is just another example of farmers going to the next level of environmentalism.

Oh yeah, part of that triple stack is resistance to insects. Corn borer and many other pests used to require farmers to spray insecticides. This protection afforded to us through the genetic engineering has drastically reduced the amount of insecticides sprayed on corn fields and in many cases has eliminated them all together. I am certainly not opposed to using insecticides but I am also more than happy not to use them.

Yes, I am sure that planting my genetically engineered corn and soybeans makes me an environmentalist. I am also sure that some of the card-carrying, dues-paying environmentalists would disagree with me. Fine we can have a discussion about genetically engineered crops. I will match your unproven theories with my observations and results. I know my soil, the plants and animals around my fields and I know the environment is better today because of the technology I am using on my farm.

I also have the satisfaction of knowing that the genetically engineered crops I am growing allow me to produce more food with less of an impact on the environment. We must continue to increase food production while coming under more and more scrutiny when it comes to the natural resources entrusted to us. I am not sure how we do that without GMO crops.

So yes, I do proudly consider myself an environmentalist. Don’t worry I won’t be hugging any trees; I am far too allergic to poison ivy for that. But I will continue to plant genetically modified or genetically engineered crops (whatever you prefer to call them) because I care about the soil, water and air around me and that makes me an environmentalist.

Anti-biotic Free GMOs

All of the sudden it happened. Kind of like a car wreck or being pulled into quick sand. There I was minding my own business, doing my chores and wham, we were calving and lambing. Sure we have been lambing for about a month now and that endeavor is starting to wind down. Another couple of weeks and we will be down to the stragglers but I got my first calf yesterday.

Now let me preface this whining by saying I love this time of the year. That is I love it when things go right and so far this year, things have went pretty right. Oh sure we have had a couple of hiccups with the sheep, but so far so good. Things have gone pretty good, especially for the cold weather we have had. Cold weather and lambing mean a lot of late night and early morning checks.

I was joking with someone the other day that I felt like the Duncan Doughnuts baker. For those of you too young to remember, the Duncan Doughnuts baker would say “Gotta bake the doughnuts” as he walked out of the house and past himself coming back home from the doughnut shop. Lately I have wondered if I would meet myself walking back from the lambing barn on my 5:30 am check.

During this time of the year I generally don’t venture too far from home and I work really hard to keep myself awake so I can go out at 10:00 and check the ewes.  Because of that I probably spend more time reading, watching TV and surfing the web than usual. What I have noticed is a couple of trends that I would say are threatening agriculture.

First of all, is the trend of promoting anti-biotic free, hormone free meat.  This past week I had a lamb with pneumonia that I saved using the best in anti-biotics available to me. I have no doubt that this lamb would have died and suffered needlessly if I had not given it medicine. I also have a ewe and a cow that I am feeding antibiotics to for foot infections. I really think both would have lost their foot or maybe even died if I had not been able to treat them.

I know the argument is more about the feeding of anti-biotics, but I assure you it is a small leap to banning them altogether. There is still not credible proof that any of the anti-biotic resistance in humans is caused by what we do in agriculture. I take great pride in the ability to care for my animals and provide them with the best of what I have to offer. Because of this I take great care to follow all of the instructions for their use.

The other disturbing trend I see is the demonization of gmo crops. Cheerios has come out and vowed to try to make its original cereal gmo free. Well, that might not be such a stretch since oats are not gmo crops, but the message they are sending/ caving into is troubling. I have done a lot of reading in the past month and I can find no credible, peer reviewed source that can say that gmo crops pose any kind of risk to us at all.

I can find lots and lots of sources that claim gmo crops pose any kind of risk from Alzheimer’s to digestive problems to behavioral problems in children. One such article claimed that genetically modified wheat is harming our digestive systems because of added DNA. That is totally false and incredibly misleading. First of all, wheat is not a gmo crop and secondly even the crops that are pose no risk whatsoever. Most of the bad information comes from politically motivated groups and nations or those wanting to make a quick buck posing as nutritional “experts”.

How do we stem this tide of over active fears spurred on by false accusations and misleading information? We need to be active and spread the word that the technology we rely on in modern agriculture is safe. We need to make sure that we tell our story and let people know that if we are going to feed an ever growing world population we must have these tools in our toolbox.

Even in my sleep deprived, blurry calving/lambing zombie state, I have tried to answer any false claims that I come across. I have tried to refute bad information with good, sound science and in the process tried to tell the true story of agriculture as we produce the food and fiber we all need. Now if you will excuse me, I must go check the lambing barn. Gotta check the lambs, gotta check the lambs.

College, Education and Agrculture

The college experience is a great time in everyone’s life, for many of us it is a time to start living on our own, to gain new experiences and to see what the rest of the world is like. It is also a time when most of us are exposed to many points of view and not all of them are good or truthful.  College newspapers are a good source of “new philosophy” and recently once such column was brought to my attention.

The column was about the benefits of organic farming and the evils of conventional agriculture. Right off let’s make one thing clear; I have no problem with organic farming. All of us in the realm of agriculture are on the same team and I am supportive of my organic counterparts. Producing food and fiber is a tough job, no matter how you go about it and we all need to stick together.

I do, however, take offense to those who directly attack conventional agriculture. I do not know this writer’s background, I am fairly certain they are not directly involved with farming or ranching and that they get the majority of their information (if not all of it) from the internet. The column was filled with bad theories, twisted assumptions and outright fiction and it needed to be answered.

Right off the title of the article said organic farming was more efficient and healthier. Let’s look at the efficiency part first. We all know that the development of new technology like gmo crops have made us far more efficient. Before the introduction of Round-up Ready crops we all spent more time cultivating and weeding our crops. Prior to no-till many more passes were made in preparation during planting season. We are far more efficient whether we are talking about fuel, labor or any other input.

The author also asserts that the soil in an organic setting is healthier. I whole heartedly disagree with this. No-till on our farm has allowed us to build the organic matter back to levels that have not been seen since the sod was broken. It does my heart good when I can see the remains of the last two crops on the ground under this current crop. Because we are not tilling the residue slows the rainfall down and we lose much less soil to erosion.

The author also makes the assumption that organic farmers are promoting a more environmentally sound method of agricultural production because they rotate crops and do not promote a monoculture. We all know crop rotation is something that bridges across all segments of crop production. We have all learned that a diversified mix of crops is good not only in terms of pest management but also for economic well-being. No one wants to put all of their eggs into one basket.

Finally, the columnist alleges that organic food is healthier for us to eat. No credible research has ever borne this out. I have seen no peer reviewed, fact based articles stating that conventionally raised food containing gmo crops pose any kind of a health risk. The only articles I have seen stating there is a health risk are those on the internet from dubious sources with no iron clad research to back them up.

What I saw in the Collegian’s column was the same inter-net based rumors and outright lies that the author had extrapolated into a very well written attack on conventional agriculture. The column went on to say that all the food we need could be grown locally, even in cities. While this theory is nice and may even work on paper, those of us in agriculture know that it will not work.

The accusation was even made that modern agriculture was somehow contributing to hunger and starvation. That is the most outright lie in the whole mess. It is a well known fact that we need to increase production of food significantly to meet the demand of a growing population and we need to increase it on a curve steeper than the one we are on right now. I am sorry, but this cannot be done in any other way than to increase and continue to develop those technologies available to agriculture.

The bottom line is that the column highlights the misinformation our next generation of consumers is being exposed to. We need to step in and provide them with the facts and tell our story. If we stay silent more people like this columnist will fill the void with sensational propaganda and influence a whole generation of consumers. We must all be vigilant and take the time and opportunities to dispel bad information with the truth. That truth is that we are all proud producers, using the most up-to-date technologies to feed an ever-growing world.