that would be cool!
Zimbabwe refuse genetically modified crops in 2002
- Thread starter Lone_Desperado
- Start date
better living through better genetics 
umm not really, you do realise that if the substance can pass from the grain to the cow then it can quite easierly pass from the cow to the person EATING the cow. After all this means that it is small enough a compound that it can pass through the intestines without being digested. That is BAD!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, but that is incorrect when speaking of hybrids. Very, very few will produce true to the plants that grew the seeds. Rather, they will produce plants from both that went into making the hybrid (or more than two which is often the case) and not one of those will have all the desired the desired advantages. Using corn for an example since that's what I grew a lot of when I was in fairly heavy beef production, you will have some plants that are VERY stunted - they may have been the ones that gave the hybrid it's drought tolerance. There will also be many that will be very tall, slender and have weak stalks and will cause considerable lodging during harvest - they contributed some other desirable feature to the hybrid.
No farmer - and I mean NONE - will save seeds from ordinary hybrids.
If you are interested enough, try this little experiment at home. Buy a couple of cherry tomato plants in the spring and grow them. (I chose them because they take little space and effort.) Grow them and save the seeds from a single tomato. Now plant those and grow them. You'll be amazed at what you get! Some will be red, some yellow, some high-acid, some low-acid, some will be elongated like watermelons, etc.
There WILL be some that are just like the one you took the seeds from. BUT - no commercial farmer in the whole world - I don't care if it's Australia, the U.S. , Europe or wherever - is going to risk that because they CANNOT predict in advance what any individual seed is going to do! And by the time it's grown and made fruit, it's too late to go back and pull up all the bad ones individually (which will be WAY over two thirds of them!) and try to start over. Whoever would do such a thing on a commercial basis is NO farmer!! (And even people who have a home garden each year would not put up with it either.)
i will respond to this tomorow, want to check it out. If im wrong i will apoligise but im sure that wheat farmers DONT buy seed every year. what would be the point, if enough seed was grown to produce that many plants every year then why not just sell it to the supermarkets
I'll save you a bit of trouble but still feel free to research more on your own.
Here's an EXCELLENT example of why!! http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cach...30.html+hybrid+wheat&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us
Using this hybrid can easily double or possibly triple the amount of wheat produced. Why would anyone in their right mind not use it? The seed is NOT that expensive.
Ah found it. Now this first quote is from a blog so i cant be sure of its reliability
Its a blog talking about Iraq
The next ones should be much more reliable
This one is from an organisation associated with the federal goverment
And this one is from the ABC Radio national and does seem to surport you though its about them trying to fix the problem
This is from landline another ABC program
It seems to me we are both right, some farmers do and some dont.
Its a blog talking about Iraq
An Australian Anarchist Weblog is proudly powered by WordPress said:
The next ones should be much more reliable
This one is from an organisation associated with the federal goverment
Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation said:
And this one is from the ABC Radio national and does seem to surport you though its about them trying to fix the problem
Seeds to Feed the World said:
This is from landline another ABC program
Landline said:
It seems to me we are both right, some farmers do and some dont.
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Nope, not a one of those supported your side of the question at all, sorry, but they're useless for your position.
I've just finished reading completely through each of them:
The first one is a fanatic - can't believe a single word he says.
The second one isn't even addressing hybridized plants at all.
Third one is so-so.
Last one isn't addressing hybrids either - it's talking strictly about GM crops, not hybrids. (Remember, there's a HUGE difference in the two.)
So none of them helped you one bit. Besides, you specifically said you were going to check about wheat farming in Australia.
i said i would try. Its not exactly the easiest thing to google search which is all i can do untill i can get to a libary. But i am starting to think your right, that hybrids are sold year to year where as normal crops are kept. I will keep looking but unless i find something else i am willing to concide the point. I wont concide that people dont keep seed aside each year from there previous crops to grow next year though but it could be unhybridised crops
i said i would try. Its not exactly the easiest thing to google search which is all i can do untill i can get to a libary. But i am starting to think your right, that hybrids are sold year to year where as normal crops are kept. I will keep looking but unless i find something else i am willing to concide the point. I wont concide that people dont keep seed aside each year from there previous crops to grow next year though but it could be unhybridised crops
Yes, your last statement is the real fact. And that was exactly the case with the second link you posted. People certainly DO save seed from open-pollinated (non-hybrid) plants. It makes good sense to do that and there's no reason not to.
But for hybrids, it makes NO sense and is very wasteful as I explained in detail several posts ago.
Yes, I did. And I meant to comment, sorry. That WAS very interesting! I've read more about it from several news sources lately. And it's still quite interesting.
But in the case referenced here. The genetically modified grain was for food. And the grain is used in the United States as food. Now given the choice of using that genetically modified food which has been approved for human consumption and is being consumed in first world countries to feed its populations, why turn it away instead of using it to feed starving people?
I repeat, it was a stupid decision at best and at worst a cruel and heartless decision.
I repeat, it was a stupid decision at best and at worst a cruel and heartless decision.