Genetically Modified Grain Essay

By genetically modifying traits in plants, biotechnology allows for higher food production in a wider array of places without the use of chemicals or limited resources. The increased crop availability results in economic profit, not only in the United States, but in developed and non-developed nations around the globe. A study to support this claim from Iowa State University shows that without GMO’s, global prices would be nearly 10% higher for soybeans and 6% higher for corn, two largely grown crops throughout the world. The net economic benefit for farmers in 2011 was $19.8 billion (PG Economics, 1996-2011). This results in an average rise in income of $329 per acre. For the entire 16-year period since the introduction of GMO’s, the increase in global

Genetically modified crops are an incredibly important issue that everyone should be aware of since it is something we are exposed to at a daily basis. Genetically modified crops also known as GM crops or Biotech crops has been one of the most heated debates of issues within our society. The debate about the safety, concerns and disadvantages of GM crops have raged since the mid 1990 's but this is due to the lack of knowledge of the general public. Many people are unaware of what the GM crops actually are and what they offer. Genetically modified crops are plants that are used in the agriculture and have been modified to initiate a new trait to plants that does not happen naturally in the species. These plants are modified using genetic engineering techniques to enhance desired traits. GM crops are made when genes of commercial interest are transferred from one organism to another.() There are many methods used for the production of GM crops but the two primary used for plant insertion are gene guns and agrobacterium tumefaciens. There are also three types of modifications which are transgenic, cisgenic, and subgenic plants. However, there are a number of issues that surround this controversial topic such as environmental, health, and economic concerns. Even though there are some worrying facts about GM crops people don 't realize the advantages or the ways it has helped humans as well as animals. There are many reasons why GM crops are proven

One of the greatest accomplishments since 1982 is the invention of GMOs. They were first approved by the FDA in 1982 for Humulin, insulin that has genetically engineered E. coli bacteria. The thinking behind GMOs was to develop crops that were resistant to pests and diseases in addition to improve nutritional content. GMOs have helped numerous people around the world. They have made farmer’s crops have better yields and a more successful growing season. GMOs are beneficial and should be promoted because they are more economical and they increase productivity in agriculture; however, the opposition believes GMOs potentially cause health issues.

The origin of GMOs started in 1982 by an experiment done by the United States Department of Agriculture, in which they changed the genes of a tomato plant. Commercial use of Genetically Engineered crops began in 1996 (Fernandez-Cornejo et al. pg 7). While developing Genetically Modified Organisms, scientists and researchers characterized the types of Genetically Engineered crop traits into

The L-tryptophan, is a component that was used in the production of GMOs, this component was contaminated and produced a new disease, approximately 100 North Americans died. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, food has doubled the amount of illnesses, and since GMO products have been available on the market 5.000 deaths, 325.000 hospitalizations, and 76 million diseases related to food are registered every year in America. Also, since one of the most famous products of Monsanto was introduce in the UK, Roundup Ready, the percentage of allergies registered increased 50% (Jeffrey Smith 103 –

The USDA regulates GMOs from the standpoint of preventing the spread of pests, weeds, and diseases under the Federal Plant Pest Act (FPPA). USDA also regulates the spread of new varieties of feedstock whether they are developed by selection or hybridization, or are genetically modified. Crops that are bioengineered for pest resistance could have a number of advantages, such as increased yield and reduced or eliminated use of insecticides.127 Hundreds of field trials of GMO plants are now being carried out each year with only researcher notification, as is required by the USDA.127

While genetic management of foods can be traced throughout history, the modern phenomena of GMOs and transgenic plants have come to light in just the last few decades. In today’s modern society, the science of biotechnology and the process of genetic modification are developing throughout the planet. As of 2004, 8.25 million farmers in 17 countries were using genetically modified crops. Today, approximately two- thirds of all food offered in supermarkets has been genetically modified. However, the subject of GMO’s is one of great controversy. Although this modern invention does have some positive results on the food industry it also has brought some negative consequences along with it.

GMO’s increase the yield of crops grown by farmers greatly, and provide the world with

For example, there is an insect called the European corn borer, which is now prevalent in the U.S. and feeds on more than just corn. It also attacks peppers, potatoes, lima beans, and millet. An article on the University of Minnesota website describes a type of corn has been developed that contains a natural insecticide, called Bt. Bt, the article continues, stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, which is a protein that is released by Bt corn and kills the European corn borer (Witkowski). Having the insecticide naturally residing within the plant reduces the need for insecticide. This built-in pest protection is a definite advantage that GMO crops have over regular species of the same

One of the biggest advantages of agricultural biotechnology lies in its economic efficiency. GM crops are financially beneficial to both the farmer and the consumer. Due to their resistance to pests, viruses, and adverse climates, genetically altered crops produce much larger yields than organic or conventional crops. For example, studies show that if no insecticide is used, a GM crop known as Bt maize has a 48% higher yield than non-modified maize varieties

When GMO seeds where first developed, the corporations responsible for their development managed to patent them. Due to the nature of plant life and the process of pollination, it is near impossible to control when and where the genetic material of the seed is spread. This has caused many smaller farms that had not yet transitioned to the new types of GMO seeds to fall under fire by the company’s, setting in motion a trend in which farmers are being sued and forced into the use of GMO seed to continue farming. Furthermore, small farms that had attempted to maintain their independence from the modified seeds could no longer keep up with the production levels of their competitors. On the other hand, historically crops have fallen victim to many different forms of nature’s enemies. Invasion by native and foreign insect populations, and overgrowth by dominate plants or weeds are two major limiting factors in crop production. Agriculture is no stranger to this battle, it has been a push-pull relationship for as long as we can remember. Farmers and companies develop ways to control the nuisance and mother nature, through process of evolution, becomes resistant to those measures. This is not a new process and it should not be of any surprise that when GMOs are used to develop a new means to fight this ongoing battle they too will be surpassed by nature and new

Genetic engineering has played an increasingly important part in the business of agriculture, resulting in the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) which have been created by altering genetic materials by way of genetic engineering. While GMOs have a multitude of applications, I will focus primarily on GMO technology used to grow and develop food crops and the growing controversy surrounding the practice.

The cause of death in rats shown in the above research is not because of toxin, but a process that genes are being changed. As the proverb goes, you are what you eat. By eating Bt corn, you might become a person who is coded program to produce insecticide

“70 percent of our corn farmland and 93 percent of soy farmland are planted with crops genetically engineered to resist pests and herbicides and increase crop yields. 60% of all the processed foods in the United States are genetically modified; a shocking statistic has the concern of many Americans. However, most people are uninformed about the beneficial impact that genetically modified food has on their diet. GM is the use of molecular biology technology to modify the inherited structure of organisms. Genetically engineered crops increase nutrients, drought tolerance, provide more food for growing populations, and resists diseases and pesticides. Genetically engineered foods are crucial to the improvement of economy, agriculture, society, and health choices. The creation of GM foods was one of the most significant breakthroughs in food industry. Genetically modifying foods is a key component that is harmless for the enrichment of our foods.

Agriculture has existed for thousands of years and has been able to support the lives of many individuals through providing consumer goods. These consumer good are constantly being bought and sold between various countries in order to sustain life on earth. Although past agricultural methods were seen as natural from farmers working out in the field and growing food sustainably, the drive for economic gain that society possessed allowed for many corporations such as Monsanto to develop. The Monsanto Corporation is located in St. Louis Missouri and is known as an “American multinational agrochemical and agriculture biotechnology corporation.” (Monsanto Company, 2015). Monsanto was founded in 1901 and began to create herbicides between 1945 and 1976. With the success of the herbicide creations, Monsanto then began to develop plants that contained biotechnology traits known as genetically modified organisms (GMO) or genetically modified (GM) crops (Monsanto Company, 2015). These GM crops are “ used for agricultural purposes into which one or several genes coding for desirable traits have been inserted through the process of genetic engineering“ (Qaim, 2009, p.1). The use and expansion of GM crops continues to rise with the United States being one of the world’s largest leading producers (GMO compass, 2007). GM crops were introduced into society because many believed that this new technology would be able to improve the quality of the worlds food supply (Conner et al, 2003).