If I'm growing it - apparently not. Despite having large fields - 80-200 acres - none of our non-GMO contracted corn has passed the quick GM test. Lab tests showed several loads just over 1%, which is the mimimum.
My question is this: if we didn't screw up the seed, why can't we get below the same threshold we seem to have passed last year? Some obvious points we have considered:
- We use smart boxes of seed, so it would have been virtually impossible to have accidentally let one bag contaminate our planter. Let alone have done so for repeated fills.
- The fields were not 20 acre patches surrounded by GM corn.
- We harvested the required border rows and sold them as regular corn.
- Could the seed itself carry a small GM contamination level that replicates into the product?
Feel free to pile on, but is anyone else having trouble growing non-GMO corn?
7 comments:
Here in Virginia we do not get a price bump for growing regular corn. And there is not issue with getting non-gmo seed though the dealers are really pushing modified seed.
We tested our seed this year prior to planting and 2 of the 3 non-gmo numbers were 1.2 and 1.8 percent gmo respectively so unless you tested your seed you could have easily planted your problem.
anon2:
Thanks for your input. This was our suspicion as well. It would interesting to check out some seed if I can find it.
Yeah the plant breeders can't keep this seed segregated. I suppose from a strict legal standpoint the seed companies could come after us for having their patented gene in the field. It would just take someone to call the snitch line. Maybe it makes sense to save back seed samples from each year's plantings. Just in case.
Neighbor last year mistakenly sprayed his non roundup corn with roundup. Smoked 98% of the field, other 2% were green and growing great. You tell me.
Personally I think it is a problem. The GMO companies tell us it is a safe technology but they can't control it. Is it really safe then??
I grew 800 acres of non GMO corn last year and every single load passed. I was very concerned about some of my small border fields but had no problem. Could it be that the end user was very needy for our contract? BTW, the 2010 contract was reduced to 40 cents/b but it was filled in one day. We are seeing NO advantage to the triples here.
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