Alfalfa is a weed like plant used to help with many unfatal medical conditions such as, cholesterol reduction. It has other uses as well, for example, some people feed it to their livestock. Alfalfa was originally genetically modified by Monsanto and Forage Genetics, a alfalfa seed company owned by Land O’ Lakes, to become herbicide roundup resistant. A genetically modified organism, abbreviated by GMO, is a huge controversial topic. To get a genetically modified organism you take a gene of one organism and put it in a totally different organism. For example to get Roundup Ready alfalfa (Medicago sativa) we took a gene from a bacteria Agrobacterium that was resistant to glyphosate (used for weed control). There are many advantages, disadvantages, …show more content…
David Burton said “Cons to the product include … potential for weed resistance with time and the weakness of glyphosate on specific weeds” This shows that Roundup Ready Alfalfa may be a good short term problem fixer, but we may have some problems with it in the future. This would mean after so long the amount of herbicide and insecticide will once again sky rocket, increasing biomagnification. Another downside is there is no way to pinpoint when exactly the weeds will become resistant. So, we will not be sure how long we have to come up with a different long term solution. “Planting of genetically modified alfalfa will result in pollen from those plants contaminating organic and traditional crops. Once a non-GMO crop is affected there is no recourse for the damage done nor is there any way to reverse the process.” (Farm and Food Rights :: GMO Alfalfa) Because so many people are still on the fence, gathering more research, or totally against GMOs it is important that we respect our neighbors wishes and let them choose whether or not they wish to grow GMOs in their gardens. All plants naturally reproduce asexually. There is no way for us to control where the pollen from these plants go. The problem is if it wonders into our neighbors’ garden, they now have GMO offspring which they may not want growing in their yard. According to the same site, many companies are refusing to purchases or allow anything with a GMO involved into their work place or country. This is proof GM alfalfa could have economical disadvantages, because if we make money by selling our alfalfa to other people or places, we have just lost money. The byer might not trust us now that we are messing with
Genetically modified? That alone should be a cause for alarm, and have you wondering, what exactly is in this that I am eating? Yet every day millions of American’s choose to load up on food filled with GMO’s, and not even know it. First we must understand what GMO’s are. GMO’s are any organism whose genetics has been altered using genetic engineering. We should not be tampering with nature, and should try to grow organically as much as possible. There has not been enough research on GMO’s to know the potential long term effects it can have on us, so this is why GMO’s should be banned.
Because of the increase in population, products need to be manufactured in a faster and more efficient way, and with genetically modified foods, the food is larger in size and quicker to harvest. Another advantage of GM foods is that it uses less fertilizer and less water and is more resistant to insects, diseases, frost, and drought. Consumers would not want to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of possible health hazards and growing GM foods can help eliminate the use of chemical pesticides. Plants that are genetically engineered to resist strong herbicide will help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed. This will benefit both the companies and the environment because the production cost is reduced and the danger of agricultural waste run-off is limited. As more land is being used for housing instead of food production, crops need to adapt to locations unsuited
When we genetically modify an organism, we are creating an entirely new species. This can mean disaster for the surrounding natural organisms. These GM crops, which have been created to fight pests and weeds, can easily win in a competition for survival. Long-term effects include endangering these unmodified species, or even driving them to extinction. Another problem is that consumers don’t know when they’re eating GM foods. You might be allergic to fish, and then you go grocery shopping. You buy tomatoes to use in your dinner that night, with no knowledge that they have fish genes that can trigger your allergies. Allergic reactions to these modified foods are just another issue that comes up when GMOS come into play. Also, when we buy these foods, we’re supporting big industries that have patents on all these crops. The fact that people can patent crops just because they stuck some new DNA in them doesn’t make sense to begin with, but furthermore, the local, organic farmers who don’t want to, or can’t afford to pay these industries to use their patented crops are losing business.
A GMO is a plant or animal that has been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses, or other plants and animals. Most of the combinations which are used could not possibly occur in nature on its own. The intention of the process is to create a new beneficial trait such as creating its own pesticide or make it immune to herbicides. This would allow the crop such as Bt co...
Genetic modification is a scientific way to enhance crops. The article “Genetically Modified Food” explains this by saying; “A genetically modified (GM) food is a result of recombinant DNA biotechnological procedures that allow the genetic Makeup of an organism to be modified. This can be accomplished by incorporating genes from other organisms of by rearranging genes already present” (Schneider 1). The genes used in the GM plants either comes from other plants of the plant itself. This means nothing going into the plant is from an unnatural source. “Statement by the AAAS Board of Directors On Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods” says, “Modern molecular genetics and the invention of large- scale DNA sequencing methods have fueled rapid advances in our knowledge of how genes work and what they do, permitting the development of new methods that allow the very precise addition of useful traits to crops…” (American Association 1). In traditional breeding there is a guess and check mentality w...
Eating is extremely important, it is also important to eat healthy. Most Americans eat without any concerns; they are not questioning or researching what they are feeding themselves or their family. A lot of that has to do with their financial stability, not having the time to prepare a meal due to their time-consuming work schedule, also lack of knowledge and education on what they are consuming. In this bibliography, I will go over all three articles and explain what they are about.
Whether we like it or not genetic modified organisms (GMOs) are on our dinner table and in our air. Suddenly, activists and the media have become obsessed with avoiding GMOs and labeling them as an evil new technology. The truth is these products have been out in the public since the early 1990s. Genetic engineering (GE) is just a tool that is being used to improve our methods in agriculture, just as technology including computers or other new electronic updates that make our lives easier day by day. We use science to make improvements little by little over the years while some fail others may be successful. It is safe to say some technology that comes with life altering benefits may also come with some risks. Those who argue against GMOs choose to ignore all the benefits GE has provided us with so far and tend to focus on risks that realistically have nothing to do with the science of genetic engineering. Most anti-GMO activists are uneducated on the topic and listen to unreliable bias sources. The media has people focused on the wrong side of the debate. Banning genetic engineering, an important biotechnology, would be an impossible and foolish fight. In a world with a tremendously fast growing population, climate changes due to global warming, and economical faults, GMOs might be the best solution.
The term GM foods or GMO (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques (Whitman, 2000). These plants have been modified in the laboratory to offer desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Also, genetic engineering techniques have been applied to create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and accurately. For example, this is done by the geneticist isolating the gene responsible for drought tolerance and inserting it into another plant. The new genetically modified plant will now have gained drought tolerance as well.
If crops were affected by droughts, disease and insects, having destroyed many acres across America’s Midwest region, the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) would not be beneficial in regenerating new crops. Genetically modifying foods (GMOs) “are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding” (nongmoproject.org). Most research done has concluded no positive benefits in using GMOs. There are serious health risks associated with eating GM foods based on scientific research done around the world. The purpose of GMOs are to increase production of crop yield and reduce pesticide use but research says otherwise. If farmers wanted to continue using GMOs to produce crops, labeling should be mandatory to allow consumers to have a conscious choice whether or not to eat GM food. Through research it has been proven that the use of GMOs to increased production of crops during a time of drought or disease have no benefits, just risks.
The most wonderful activity a human being can experience is new flavors and foods. For example, the first time a person tastes a delicious juicy piece of prime rib or a delightful hamburger with cheese and ham, his world is never the same. However, since the beginning of the twentieth century, the production of food has been supplemented by science. This has triggered an angry dispute between the people who support the advances of biotechnology and people who love nature. In order to understand the controversy, we have to know the meaning of genetically modified foods. With new technological advances, scientists can modify seeds from a conventional seed to a high tech seed with shorter maturation times and resistance to dryness, cold and heat. This is possible with the implementation of new genes into the DNA of the conventional seed. Once these "transgenes" are transferred, they can create plants with better characteristics (Harris 164-165). The farmers love it not only because it guarantees a good production, but the cost is also reduced. On the other hand, organizations such as Greenpeace and Friends of Earth have campaigned against GMO (“Riesgos”) because they think that they are negatively affecting the earth (Gerdes 26). Both the advocates and the opponents of genetically modified foods have excellent arguments.
Scientists have been changing genomes of plants and animals by integrating new genes from a different species through genetic engineering, creating a genetically modified organism (GMO). Consumers in America have been eating GMOs since 1996, when they went on the market. There are benefits to genetically modifying crop plants, as it improves the crop quality and increases yield, affecting the economy and developing countries. But there are also negative effects from GMOs. Consumption of GMOs has various health effects on both body systems of animals and humans. GMOs also affect the environment, ecosystems and other animal species. The cons outweigh the pros in the case of GMOs.
Before being used on humans, it was used on crops to enhance the livestock, to increase taste size and many other desirable traits in food, to make them more enticing to consumers, to make them easier to grow in certain weather conditions, and also to withstand pesticides needed to safeguard the crops. There is no proof of the long-term effects of genetic engineering. People have been worried about the effects of eating genetically engineered crops on their health, and because of the concern the Organic Trade Association doesn’t allow genetically altered products. It is an idea that has not been taken very seriously over the past decades and was only seen as a wildly imaginative miracle out of reach of scientists. Now that idea has become a very real process that seems like a dream come true to the many who see it as a miracle cure, but a nightmare to those who see it as spitting on the work of God and telling him he is now obsolete in the child bearing portion of the human life.
It is evident that the majority of American farmers utilize biotech seeds, because of the risks that the insect resistant and herbicide resistant traits help reduce. GMO's make the life of a farmer much easier as they do not have to worry about rushing to spray herbicides, to keep weeds out, or worrying about insects damaging crops and having to spray pesticides. For instance, Brian Scott a farmer in Indiana, when corn root worms starts indulging on his organic crops, the worms will cause a significant damage before he can react accordingly and eliminate the problem with the use of chemicals. These corn root worms won't affect Scott's insect resistant GMO corn because the pesticide is always in the plant. In addition, the GM corn was created only to harm a small group of insects and this allows for other beneficial insects to survive and assist the crops, since Scott did not have to spray pesticides. Farmers use GM crops mainly because of a reliability issue, not only are biotech plants easier to maintain, but they are less likely to cause a devastating loss. To a point where even insurance companies will provide farmers with lower premiums. Troy Rausch, another Indiana farmer, states "... when you're delayed by a couple weeks by rain like we were this year, the GM traits come in awfully handy for weed control". The GM traits are of much benefit to Rausch as they eliminate the need for him to utilize his time and combat against pesky weeds. The use of GMO's in the agricultural space eliminates many risks that would be common in conventionally bred
Genetically modified organisms can be plants or animals that have been genetically altered to produce or express a desired characteristic or trait. By genetically altering organisms such as crops, we can eliminate the use of pesticides by making the crops resistant to insects. We can also produce crops that are resistant to floods and droughts. Furthermore, with the use of molecular genetics, we are able to produce foods that are rich in nutrients and supplements. People in developing countries may not be fortunate enough to have a full course meal that contains nutrients from all four basic food groups. However, GMOs can with a little modification provide all the amino acids, vitamins, and minerals included in a good diet by simply consuming a genetically modified staple crop such as rice. In addition, by producing crops that are resistant to harsh environmental conditions as well as pests, we would see a rapid increase in the production of food thereby reducing and or!
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) is an organism, such as a plant, animal, or any microorganism who’s had its DNA changed in different ways through genetic engineering that is not natural. It is an organism like every other organism, which produces thousands of proteins, but one or two of them are proteins that were chosen were specifically by humans. It creates unstable combinations of plants, animal, bacterial, and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. Majority of Americans in the US consume nearly 200 pounds of GMOs each year. 90% of US crops are genetically modified.