mjjustbanit copyBarbara H. Peterson

Farm Wars

Recently I stopped by a feed store that I do not normally frequent and bought a 50 lb bag of alfalfa pellets. I failed to look at the bag when the man put it in the truck, and just assumed that it was the same brand that I had already verified to be GMO-Free. It was not. And then it began…

Not wanting to feed GMO to my critters, I began calling everyone I could think of and finally got to the bottom of whether or not I had inadvertently supported Monsanto et al or not.

I called the feed company, posted a message on their Facebook page, got the number of the manager of the manufacturing elevator that processes the hay into pellets, because that is where the list of growers is located, and found that each and every grower is going through GMO-Free verification.

A good day, indeed. Not only did I not support Monsanto, but raised awareness that customers want GMO-Free alfalfa, and not pesticide-soaked garbage that has been genetically engineered in a lab. Score a hit for the good guys.

You see, alfalfa is notoriously pesticide-free. The root mass is so thick that weeds simply have a hard time growing in it, so it doesn’t need to be sprayed. That is, unless you buy Round-up Ready alfalfa, in which case it is soaked with pesticides just like every other GMO crop, as well as genetically engineered in a lab.

Way to go, Monsanto! Take a naturally pesticide-free crop and turn it into a cash cow for the Glyphosate industry, all with a bit of PR hocus pocus and outright lies. Any farmer who actually buys Round-up Ready alfalfa is either ignorant or brainwashed or working for the GMO crowd. Period.

So, if you are in Oregon and want good quality GMO-Free alfalfa pellets, the Grange Co-op is your store.

 

grange1(http://www.grangecoop.com/store-locator/)

 

I know that it takes time to call around and ask questions, but in my opinion, that is what we need to do. Stores will stock what customers demand. If we demand GMO-Free feed, then they will stock GMO-Free feed. If we just plop whatever into our trucks and don’t ask what it is we are buying, we will get what we deserve – anything that they want to give us. It is up to us to be the change we want to see. Make sure that what you are getting is GMO-Free. Do the research, demand change, and follow through. We can do it, one customer at a time.

©2014 Barbara H. Peterson

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5 Responses to “GM-Free Popularity Rising: Take THAT Monsanto!”

  1. Abe says:

    We have to do what ever it takes. I’ve joined or bought one share of Lakewinds Coop this year. The cost is twice that of the store even with the discount. But when you look at the cost of health care and a trip to the Dr, it’s money in the bank. GMO’s are making all my life long friends sick and dying young! I’m getting tired of seeing the same stupid look in there faces when I tell them why they’re having problems!
    Yes Virginia, there is something in the food, drugs, and water, that’s killing us!!
    It’s up to all of us in the know to be the biggest pain in the ass as possible!!

  2. That’s exactly what I was talking about to my neighbor the other day. He didn’t know anything about the Monsanto Technology Use Agreement, which, at last look, was around 44 pages, giving Monsanto the right to come onto your property and inspect for their GM trait after you open the bag, which, after opening the bag, you have agreed to. If they find it, then they can and will sue for patent infringement and use of their technology. He was almost speechless. He doesn’t use their seed, and most likely, never will now. The ones who do will be in a world of hurt, they just don’t know it yet…

  3. Goldbug36 says:

    In southern Illinois, the Farm Bureau has conducted their annual crop assessment and found a record corn crop because of the excellent rain this summer. However, there is no market for this corn. Nobody wants it. The price of corn and soybeans has plummeted because of the glut of unwanted product. The golfing usurper has apparently cut the amount of ethanol to be produced this year (must be nice to have dictatorial powers). The world no longer wants Monsanto’s chemical nasties. The farmers, who signed away their farms and livelihoods to Monsanto, will live to regret it.

  4. mr. massey says:

    Around here, some farmers don’t want grass coming in and crowding out the alfalfa. Pure dairy-grade alfalfa sells for more money. So, they plant the GMO, RR alfalfa and put the Roundup in the pivot. Easy-peasy. Sure, they make more money for pure alfalfa, but does the cost of the RR seed and the roundup make up the cost? plus the contamination of the soil, and the inevitable evolution of super-grasses that also resist Roundup (without genetic modification)?

    It seems to me that long-term costs outweigh short-term benefits, but tell that to the bankers who need the interest! 30-grand Pivot, 50 grand giant tractor, GMO alfalfa seed @ 4.50/lb, 30 gallon drum of Roundup for 500 bucks plus shipping… man the costs add up! I can move water, grow a grass/gmo-free alfalfa mix, and with organic certification, still sell the hay for near-parity with pure dairy alfalfa, and come out ahead, without destroying the land.

    I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir, but GMO is unnecessary, and it’s expensive!

  5. Patrick says:

    I must now travel about 100 miles to procure GMO-free feed. My round trip uses $80 worth of fuel and a half day of my time, neither of which I can afford and passing along that expense to my consumers would price me out of the market. Since that mill will not deliver this far away, I’ve tried to coordinate with other local farmers to share pick up trips, so far without success. One of the few options left to avoid GMO grains has been to substitute with alfalfa in order to up protein. I’ve passed this along to many other organic producers and hobby farmers. The only reason I can see for Monsanto to create and promote a plant which, as you point out, has never needed pesticides or herbicides to thrive, is to further solidify their monopoly agenda.