US gov suggests limiting GM corn cultivation as failed experiment causes superpests to spread

Monday, January 04, 2016 by: Jennifer Lea Reynolds
Tags: GM corn, pesticide resistance, rootworms

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(NaturalNews) Yet another case against GM crops and their ineffectiveness has surfaced, this time in the instance of rootworms that have been found to be resistant to GM corn. Surprisingly, unlike many times in the past where industry regulators claim there is not enough evidence to support certain findings, the Environmental Protection Agency is actually considering putting limits on GM corn.⁽¹⁾

It would appear that the persistence of rootworms, a superpest that wreaks havoc on corn crops since they're proving to be resistant to Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) poison, has become an eye-opening situation that's led the government to consider making changes to GM corn cultivation.

Specifically, the EPA is suggesting that, after two years in a row of GM corn being grown, approximately 35 percent of corn fields be planted with another plant. They say that this will prevent farmers from engaging in excessive use of environmentally harmful pesticides, drenching even more of the toxins on the corn in an effort to destroy the rootworm. Monsanto, DuPont and Dow Chemical all sell rootworm-resistant corn; Monsanto was the first to sell it.^(1,2)

"Continuous corn is the perfect habitat for rootworm," Aaron Gassmann, an Iowa State University entomologist, has previously said. As an increasing amount of corn crops has been ruined through the years, his comment seems to support the EPA's recent suggestion to plant additional crops after two years.⁽³⁾

While the news is good for those who don't want toxins in the environment or the foods they eat, it's bad news for some farmers who want to have control of how they handle the problems that face their crops.

Not everyone on board with putting limits on GM corn

"To me, it should be more an individual decision and not the government telling us what to do," said Nebraska corn farmer Boyd Epperson. While his statement is true and expresses the individual freedoms we all should be entitled to, it certainly has overtones that suggest he is likely among those who would douse his fields in more and more of the dangerous chemicals -- only to "fight" a battle against superpests that simply refuse to be destroyed.⁽²⁾

Monsanto's website, of course, touts the benefits of its corn products. Even in light of the fact that rootworms are destroying even GM corn crops, their site states, "Field monitoring of these products, which Monsanto has conducted since these products were first introduced, demonstrates an outstanding level of performance and grower satisfaction on greater than 99.8 percent of
all acres planted to the technology in the United States." Sure. That's why the EPA is stepping in to address failed GM crops.⁽⁴⁾

They describe how farmers can overcome corn pest resistance by engaging in "Best Management Practices," by urging those in the corn belt to -- no surprise here -- turn to one of their three corn products, Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete. Predictably, the article even links to that particular product.⁽⁵⁾

GMO foods, chemicals designed to destroy pests and weeds harm health: When is enough enough?

The bottom line is that using processes and chemicals that fight what nature is meant to do is detrimental to health.

Study after animal study has found that exposure to GMO foods leads to fertility issues including damaged sperm cells and lower birth weights. On a lesser, but still concerning, level, such foods have also been linked to the onset of allergies.⁽⁶⁾

Humans, too, are obviously affected by GMO foods and the chemicals used to keep weeds at bay. Friends of the Earth has put out briefings that detail the consequences they face as areas are treated with toxic chemicals, all in the name of producing the ideal food.⁽⁷⁾

For example, one such briefing, Human contamination by glyphosate, explains that, in a United States study designed to assess the glyphosate levels in urine samples, 60 percent of farmers were found to have detectable amounts on the same day of application. Even days after, there were still glyphosate levels in their urine.⁽⁷⁾

That same briefing also sheds light on both farmers and non-farmers in Iowa, where even the wives and children were found to have levels of glyphosate in their urine. Shockingly, 80 percent of children's urine had levels of this toxic chemical.⁽⁷⁾

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://healthimpactnews.com

(2) http://www.farms.com

(3) http://www.wired.com

(4) http://www.monsanto.com

(5) http://monsantoblog.com

(6) http://www.darkgovernment.com

(7) https://www.foeeurope.org^[PDF]