It’s no secret that science is very important to me. On our ranch, we depend on science to help us make health management decisions for our livestock, to guide grazing and agronomy decisions for our land and we even use science when it comes to feeding our family.
So it should come as no surprise that we trust, use and consume GMOs in our household, because we know they are harmless and there are a multitude of reasons we don’t shy away.
- GMOs are safe to eat – And it has been scientifically proven by more than 1,700 studies, hundreds of which were independently funded. GMOs have been endorsed by the World Health Organization, the Royal Society of Medicine, the European Food Safety Authority and various other governing bodies on every continent around the world have confirmed, and reaffirmed, the safety of GMO crops and the safety of animal products from livestock that have consumed GMOs. In fact, in the 20+ years they’ve been available to shoppers, GMOs have not caused or contributed to a single disease, illness or death.
We feed this GMO corn to our cattle in the form of silage - GMOs are good for the environment – The more than 18 million farmers that plant GMOs have done so while using fewer inputs, such as pesticides and fuel. In fact, over the last 20 years, GMOs have reduced the amount of pesticide application by nearly 9%1 and helped increase global crop yields by more than 20%2, through improved controls of pests and weeds. As such, farmers who grow GMO crops have reduced their impact on the environment by 19%.
- GMOs reduce food waste, which increases the overall sustainability of our food supply – this is achieved through increased crop productivity, reducing use of pesticide, reduction of emissions (due to less need for pesticide application) and helping to conserve biodiversity by preserving nearly 60 million acres of land.3
GMO crops were created to help farmers protect their crops against insects, drought and disease. Others are resistant to herbicides, which helps with emissions output and reduction of farming inputs. Many GMOs help reduce food waste and improve the poverty situation for millions of people worldwide. Whatever reason hits home the hardest for you, they are all reasons for us to be grateful for the science that made them available, proved they are safe thousands upon thousands of time, and helps us feed the world, while also preserving our planet.
Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~
1 – https://pgeconomics.co.uk/pdf/globalimpactfinalreportJuly2020.pdf
2- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0111629
3 – https://gmoanswers.com/gmos-and-world-hunger-meeting-food-demand-sustainably