Use your words: GMO

I know that this post will cause controversy. And I encourage you to post comments in response to this post. It's ok to have differing views, and I encourage respectful discussion on the matter.

When talking about GMO crops, this is what some people think.

We hear this acronym thrown around all the time. GMO, which stands for Genetically Modified Organism, brings haunting images of frankenstein-like vegetables designed in a lab with a mad scientist concocting new creatures for the fields of America. But let's take a closer look at what GMO crops are all about.

What is GMO?

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. This normally refers to an organism that has been modified using a non-breeding technique. So, there's normally a gene (or set of genes) that's been inserted using biotechnology. These are interchangeably known as biotech crops.

How are GMO crops different from conventional crops?

GMO crops differ from conventional crops in the way that genetic traits make their way to the final product. Conventional breeding of a crop can take up to 10 years to integrate all the traits needed for a successful crop. GMO crops use a few techniques where those genes can be directly inserted into the genome. The result is a crop that is ready for market in 5 years or less. Typically, there's a gene that normally exists in the gene pool anyway, such as disease resistance or increased yield. However, recent breakthroughs have made it possible to use genes in a different species, such as a salmon for cold resistance.

What kind of techniques are these scientists using?

The first technique was developed at Cornell University in 1987, and is known as a gene gun. The prototype of this was actually a modified bb rifle. The gene gun, or "biolistic particle delivery system" uses a heavy metal (most often gold or tungsten). This gold is coated with DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (DNA), but not just any DNA, the DNA that when decoded will produce the desired trait. So, let's say you want to make super sweet corn, you'd take known "super sweet" genes, multiply them, and then apply them to the gold dust (we're talking small, measured in micrometers). This mixture is shot at the plant you intend to modify, and tada! GMO plant! However, this doesn't always work. As one professor described it to me, it's like dropping a boulder into your house and hoping that you include the piece of DNA in the restoration.

Another technique is the use bacteria. Agrobacterium tumifaciens is a plant pathogen that hacks the plant. Unfortunately, all the bacterium can do in nature is give the plant a tumor. However, researchers over in Belgium realized that the tumor would not go away after the bacteria was removed. After further examination, they realized that the bacteria actually transferred genes to the plant. This bacteria had been genetically modifying plants well before we could. Fast forward a few more years, and researchers have found a way to insert genes into this circular piece of DNA (called a plasmid) into plants with the traits they want. It's similar to putting a CD into your computer.

There are several other ways to genetically modify a crop. But these are the two most common forms. Viruses can also be used along with double haploids.

What kind of traits can you put into my food?

Depending on the crop, there are many traits that are desirable. For example, people around my area LOVE sweet corn, the sweeter the better. So, isolating and inserting genes into a variety of corn to make it sweeter is something we all want. Another trait that is always sought is resistance to disease, so once researchers isolate the gene (or genes) wanted, they can proceed with developing a better crop for the future. One of the most famous crops that was saved from a virus is the papaya. Read about it here.

Is it safe?

YES! This is something that most people don't realize about GMO crops. All GMO crops that are grown commercially are Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS), an FDA label. Check out this information sheet on how the FDA tests GMO crops here. When genes are first inserted into plants, it's normally 4-5 generations before large scale production, so if you're afraid of a gold allergy, you have nothing to worry about. Also, the genes being inserted are very specific, and well documented. It is considered extremely irresponsible for scientists to use the gene gun filled with an unknown gene mixture just to "see what grows".

So once they have a "prototype" of a potential crop; something that has been transformed and a small scale. The prototype is sent off to third party agencies to be examined (USDA, FDA, and the EPA to start). This is a heavily regulated sector of agriculture, and for good reason. If something were to go wrong, this is the time to catch it. The regulatory agency goes through each prototype with a fine tooth comb, proving that the gene (or genes) have been inserted, and that any proteins that gene makes are safe and familiar to the human body.

To conclude, I think that many people who don't understand this technology are quick to dismiss the potential benefits of GMO crops. Rather they base opinions on emotions of fear of the unknown. However, we aren't producing any new farms (at just 2% of the workforce in farming) and people need to be fed. The population is expected to double by 2050, and we're going to need feed those people somehow. Better crops, along with better management of our resources, we will be better prepared to feed these people.

This isn't your father's farm

This is what comes to mind when most people hear words like "Agriculture, farming, rural"
(American Gothic by Grant Wood 1930)

Many people I talk to about agriculture reply with something with, "That's so cool, I'd love the simple life of growing your own food". And while small growers have the opportunity to live the simple life, if you're supporting the average 155 people, you can't really do that anymore. Today's agriculture operations are more carefully managed, more regulated, and high tech than they were 50 years ago, or even 30 years ago. This isn't your grandfather's or even your father's farm.

Since the 1920s, there has been extensive research on land management. Before the dust bowl, growers would completely plow up the prairie grasses and replace it with their crops. At the end of the season, the ground was left barren. This misuse of land led to wind and water erosion and the subsequent loss of the topsoil (the good stuff). This conservation movement has been the single largest change in how we grow our crops. Today's land tends to be plowed less and has something growing on it more often than when your grandfather was growing up.

In addition to better management, we have technology that our fathers and our grandfathers could only dream of. Technology has been one of the sole reasons why growers can grow more food using fewer resources with less labor. While no one likes pesticides, they allow growers to produce more with less waste. And today's pesticides are more effective and (when used properly of course) are safer to both man and beast. According to Iowa State University, growers can grow 4 times as much corn and soy using modern pesticides. Additionally, the use of herbicides saves 550 million gallons of fuel across the nation annually. If the weeds are dead, there's less need to plow. This is only one facet of technology, but there are countless other innovations that have made farming more efficient.

In addition to technological advances, growers are also held to a much higher standard than their parents and their grandparents. Agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) focus on environmental regulations such as nutrient management, soil and water conservation, and sound pesticide use. Then there are agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institute of Health (NIH), and the Center of Disease Control (CDC) that monitor and regulate the safety of food. And that's just the national agencies, many states have additional regulatory agencies with additional regulations. There are more people that growers must keep happy than the generations before us.

So what's the result of more technology, better land management, and more people regulating the operation? The result is more productive fields, a safer work area, and  a more efficient system for getting stuff done. If these practices weren't implemented, growers would need about twice the land to produce the same amount of food. That translates into more land conserved. So while it may not be as simple as your father's or grandfather's farm, it's better.

Growers have always worn many hats. In order to keep costs low, growers have an extensive knowledge of ag mechanics, horticulture, and in many cases, business management. Today's farmers are true professionals, that are in the ag business not to feed their families, but to make a living. That's not to say that the efforts of our ancestors is insignificant. Rather, it's through their efforts that we have a higher standard of living.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulder of giants" -Isaac Newton