[Heineken]

Corn isn't the answer to our problems, but it's obvious we're going to have to learn that the hard way.

I've grown corn. It slurps up nutrients and water like nothing else and generally ruins the soil.

Cornfields the size of Rhode Island are just another brief phenom of the cheap-oil era.

[dinopello]

Corn isn't the answer to our problems, but it's obvious we're going to have to learn that the hard way.

I've grown corn. It slurps up nutrients and water like nothing else and generally ruins the soil.

Cornfields the size of Rhode Island are just another brief phenom of the cheap-oil era.

Corn is Ok in moderation. Popcorn at the movies, some sweet corn on the cob with butter, corn bread w/chili and sour mash whisky all good stuff. But I tend to think there is too much engineered corn products in the food I see (high fructose corn syrup, corn oil, starches etc). Will having this market for other stuff to make with corn make it less attractive to use as an engineered additive? If so, that would be my silver lining. Of course, food would get more expensive if you actually had to use sugar, but we (I) could do with eating fewer doritos and soda pop.

[NEOPO]

Stevia could easily replace corn and sugar as a sweetener.

If something can replace oil for plastics then I think it is a good idea.
______________
I swear I think RWWFF has came out of his lil cocoon and joined the doomer race!!

[Tyler_JC]

20% of US corn production goes to produce about 3% of our total gasoline usage.

Thus,

100% OF ALL US CORN PRODUCTION would yield only around 15% of our total gasoline usage.

And in order to get that 15% of our gas we would need to import millions of tons of corn in order to feed ourselves, feed our livestock, and feed our corn syrup industry.

Good freaking luck with that plan, ADM.

{thread split by Shannymara, off topic posts moved here}

[Commanding_Heights]

I am copying and pasting this from a boifuel discussion list I belong to.

Austrian Government Study Confirms Genetically Modified (GM) Crops Threaten Human Fertility and Health Safety Advocates Call for Immediate Ban of All GM Foods and GM Crops (November 13, 2008):
(Los Angeles, CA.) - A long-term feeding study _http://www.ages.at/ueber-uns/presse/pressemeldungen/_
(http://www.ages.at/ueber-uns/presse/pressemeldungen/) commissioned by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, managed by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Health, Family and Youth, and carried out by Veterinary University Vienna, confirms genetically modified (GM) corn seriously affects reproductive health in mice.
Non-GMO advocates, who have warned about this infertility link along with other health risks, now seek an immediate ban of all GM foods and GM crops to protect the health of humankind and the fertility of women around the world.

Feeding mice with genetically modified corn developed by the US-based Monsanto Corporation led to lower fertility and body weight, according to the study conducted by the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. Lead author of the study Professor Zentek said, there was a direct link between the decrease in fertility and the GM diet, and that mice fed with non-GE corn reproduced more efficiently.

In the study, Austrian scientists performed several long-term feeding trials over 20 weeks with laboratory mice fed a diet containing 33% of a GM variety (NK 603 x MON 810), or a closely related non-GE variety used in many countries. Statistically significant litter size and pup weight decreases were found in the third and fourth litters in the GM-fed mice, compared to the control group.

The corn is genetically modified with genes that produce a pesticidal toxin, as well as genes that allow it to survive applications of Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup.

A book by author Jeffrey M. Smith, Genetic Roulette, distributed to members of congress last year, documents 65 serious health risks of GM products, including similar fertility problems with GM soy and GM corn: Offspring of rats fed GM soy showed a five-fold increase in mortality, lower birth weights, and the inability to reproduce. Male mice fed GM soy had damaged young sperm cells. The embryo offspring of GM soy-fed mice had altered DNA functioning.
Several US farmers reported sterility or fertility problems among pigs and cows fed on GM corn varieties. Additionally, over the last two months, investigators in India have documented fertility problems, abortions, premature births, and other serious health issues, including deaths, among buffaloes fed GM cottonseed products.

The principle GM crops are soy, corn, cottonseed and canola. GM sugar from sugar beets will also be introduced before year*s end.

Mr. Smith, who is also the Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology says, **GM foods are likely responsible for several negative health trends in the US. The government must impose an immediate ban on these dangerous crops.** He says, **Consumers don’t need to wait for governmental action. They can download a free Non-GMO Shopping Guide at _www.HealthierEating.org_ (http://www.HealthierEating.org) .**

Monsanto press offices in the UK and USA were unable to provide a comment on the findings for journalists yesterday.

The Institute for Responsible Technology’s Campaign for Healthier Eating in America mobilizes citizens, organizations, businesses, and the media, to achieve the tipping point of consumer rejection of genetically modified foods.

The Institute educates people about the documented health risks of GMOs and provides them with healthier non-GMO product choices.

The Institute also informs policy makers and the public around the world about the impacts of GMOs on health, environment, the economy, and agriculture, and the problems associated with current research, regulation, corporate practices, and reporting.

[VMarcHart]

Feeding mice with genetically modified corn developed by the US-based Monsanto Corporation led to lower fertility and body weight, according to the study conducted by the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. Lead author of the study Professor Zentek said, there was a direct link between the decrease in fertility and the GM diet, and that mice fed with non-GE corn reproduced more efficiently.

Two problems solved for the price of one?!?! That's terrific!

[mos6507]

Feeding mice with genetically modified corn developed by the US-based Monsanto Corporation led to lower fertility and body weight, according to the study conducted by the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. Lead author of the study Professor Zentek said, there was a direct link between the decrease in fertility and the GM diet, and that mice fed with non-GE corn reproduced more efficiently.

Two problems solved for the price of one?!?! That's terrific!

Thumbs way up.

[frankthetank]

Any possibility it isn't the pesticide (roundup) that is causing some of this? Those crops are sprayed pretty heavily with that crap. Aren't pesticides widely believed to be the cause behind the mutated frogs/etc?

Who knows anymore.

[Cid_Yama]

<i>Feeding mice with genetically modified corn developed by the US-based Monsanto Corporation led to lower fertility and body weight</i>

Sounds like a good thing.

[Daphne64]

It doesn't sound like a good thing to me, because people who wait longer to have kids (which are more likely to be the kind of people one would want to have kids) are more likely to be affected.

Teenage mothers will be least affected.

[mos6507]

It doesn't sound like a good thing to me, because people who wait longer to have kids (which are more likely to be the kind of people one would want to have kids) are more likely to be affected.

Teenage mothers will be least affected.

OK, so it should be stopping dummies like Palin from having kids, but not her teenage kids. 1 out of 2 ain't bad.

[smallpoxgirl]

This is wonderful news. My only question now is how do we convince people to eat more GMO corn?

[frankthetank]

SO a cow eats GMO corn...

Are the T-bones now GMO T-bones???

Isn't most of this GMO stuff fed to animals....

[Commanding_Heights]

Any possibility it isn't the pesticide (roundup) that is causing some of this? Those crops are sprayed pretty heavily with that crap. Aren't pesticides widely believed to be the cause behind the mutated frogs/etc?

Who knows anymore.

Actually I think it's the BT toxin they "swear" doesn't get into the corn, only the leaves and stem.

[Polemic]

I think the only thing worse than poisoning the biosphere with this crap, among other things, is nuking the planet to achieve population reduction.

I'm as misanthropic as the next guy, but it disgusts me that y'all cheerlead for this.

(Edited because I had it backwards)

[virgincrude]

Thanks for this commanding heights: I for one think it's usefull to be able to argue properly against GM. After all, if the human die-off occurs, those who are left to steward the planet would be a bit healthier if they didn't eat this crap, no?

Don't see much point in getting rid of the human over-population problem to replace it with the problem of utterly stupid, genetically invalid and unhealthy survivors. But that's just me.....

[AgentR]

Just a reality check, the proposal does not ban organic or heirloom seeds; it prevents a city from banning GM seeds; coincidently it would prevent a city from banning heirloom seeds as well; though there's no move to do that sort of thing.

[outcast]

Yeah but leave it to the neo-hippies/neo-primitivists to blow it out of proportion.

The entire story is currently over at truthout. But this is the gist of it. All you people trying to set up a sustainable community, take note! They are out to stop you! They're so blind to anything but the profits they can make from GMOs, they don't see what's coming is going to DESTROY industrial agriculture, anyway! This is suicide, and they're gonna take us down with them, if we don't fight back!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dude, chill out.

[outcast]

Yes, me