GMOs; Changing Crops, Changing America Over the past decades, agriculture technology and productivity has been changing drastically to fit the needs of the world population. The largest agricultural production country, the United States, has been experiencing these changes more rapidly just to meet these agricultural demands. This in turn has lead to serious controversies over the ethics and morals of some agricultural practices, namely Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). With the US population increasing every year, US farmers had to develop some way to meet the high demands of the people, therefore, GMOs were developed to help increase crop yields while also helping farmers financially by using less pesticides and herbicides. 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 …show more content…
One of the major reasons for the use of GMOs was stated by Chris Black, a plant science major and owner of Richland Plant Food Company. When Mr. Black was asked the question, “Why do farmers now use GMOs when growing crops”, he said “It really helps the everyday farmer with economics and efficiency. Since the US population is always increasing, GMOs have made a cheaper food source to the American Market.” Mr. Black also stated that “It also helps farmers save thousands of dollars in insecticide and herbicide cost that can become overwhelming, because many of the GMO seeds now have this trait. Plus Genetically Engineered crops are more environmentally friendly than organic crops, because they require less water than organic
Agronomists have been working on these problems for years, but the rapid population growth of humans makes overcoming these challenges increasingly urgent. If we can’t feed the world, it will eventually feed on us.” (Newsweek/United Nations) Scientists find a way to add “medicine” to plant genes, which help it withstands pest attacks and drought problems.“Some GMO corn crops can protect harvests in water-limited conditions better than conventionally produced crops. Other GMOs can also promote use of no-till farming, which keeps more moisture in the soil. No-till also enables farmers to make fewer passes through the field using machinery, which means less fuel used and greenhouse gases emitted.”(Monsanto) GMOs are useful for helping with planting crops in any area of the world.
So why do we use GMOs? Well there is a “So-called advantage” with these products that it costs less to produce and they are better quality. But do we know if they’re better quality or our bodies? There’s not enough research to prove that the human race and other organisms have suffered dire consequences from consuming these genetically engineered foods. However there are some linkages that link GMOs to some health problems, environmental damage, and farmer/consumer rights.
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 great things about GMOs is they’re more economical. They can reduce the cost of certain foods, farmers use less pesticides, and farmers get more out of the land while still conserving it. Genetically modified crops are already resistant to
With numerous developments plaguing agricultural production, the implementation of Genetically Modified Organisms, commonly referred to as GMOs, is best suited to be used in food manufacturing. It is estimated that by the year 2050, global food production must increase by seventy percent. However with current practices in place and the limited expansion of farmland due to urbanization, such production rates are nearly impossible to achieve. The use of Genetically Modified Organisms seems to be among the only feasible options to rapidly increase food production and thus aid in this crisis which plagues even though most developed countries, such as the United States. Specifically in the United States, the use of Genetically Modified Organism
There are many positives to having GMO’s. For one, as a result of genetically modified food crops, plants are less susceptible to dying from diseases and harmful bugs, which in return gives us a steady food supply year round. In addition, GMO’s increase the amount of food that is produced making the supply and demand ratio accommodate each other. More food is being produced than what people are able to eat making it more “affordable.” All in all, GMO’s allow food to be more resistant to nature and more fertile.
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.
For the past 30 years GMO’s have been a large change in agriculture. Crops are now growing at crazy rates and yields are setting records every year. Gmo’s have been thought to be harmful these past years but they are actually not harmful. They create a safe way to protect crops and humans for every type of meal. Without GMO’s the world would not be the way it is today. There would be more poverty and less jobs because of agriculture. Genetically Modified Crops are as safe as organic crops.
About 90% of cotton, corn, and soybean planted in the United States during 2014 and 2015 was genetically modified. Organisms that have been engineered in laboratories and have been altered for a beneficial way are genetically modified foods and crops. That is done by manipulating the food’s DNA. GM foods/crops were first approved for human consumption in the United States of America in 1994. Genetically modified crops covered one-tenth of the world’s farmland in 2010 ("Genetically modified organism (GMO)."). Also, genetically modified foods and crops are not any different from crops modified by other techniques but genetically modified crops and foods are the only ones regulated by governments around the world (Messer). Genetically modified foods are beneficial to the society because more food is available, they are resistant, and safe.
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, were introduced to the food industry in 1994. These advanced inventions are created “by injecting genetic material from plants, animals, or bacteria into a crop in hope of creating a new and beneficial trait” (Text 1, Lines 2-3). One of the most well-known GMO is a breed of corn plant that can produce its own pesticide, that helps be resistant to insects and the damage they bring. GMOs have been a heavy topic for discussion in the food industry lately, some say that GMOs are healthy and safe, while others disagree. The opposers of GMOs utilize evidence to state their case. They assert that there is enough food in the world, that they did not perform enough testing, and that there is evident health risks
In the agricultural industry, the term genetically modified organisms (GMO) refers to crops that are produced through genetic engineering. The processes involved in genetically modifying agricultural products involve the introduction of the genetic materials of a foreign organism into the genetic code of the organism that is to be altered. This process has been a cause for concern because of the lack of scientific data on the long-term safety of these processes. To understand what contributes to the supply and demand of GMOs, it is important to understand the relationship between the scientific and business communities in developing GMO technology and introducing GMO products to the consumer. This section will evaluate the development of GMO technology, the commercial factors effecting GMO technology, and the foundations of social opposition to GMO agricultural products.
As society develops and the population grows, the human need for resources grows exponentially. To help combat this problem, since the 1980’s scientists have been genetically engineering plants to yield more over a longer lifetime. On the surface, this sounds solely positive, and the beneficial aspects are undoubted, however, a major concern is whether or not the use of these Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) is more harmful than beneficial. Some of these GMOs could have ill effects on those who consume them and on the environment in which they grow. This has become such a concern that other areas of the world, such as the European Union, have passed regulations and guidelines on the use of GMOs. High levels of concern by other countries should cause an increased focus in the United States on understanding the risks as well as the benefits of using GMOs. Although Genetically Modified Organisms hold potentially beneficial qualities, the uncertainty of the effects they pose on the human body and the negative effects on plants outweigh the far-reaching attempts to solve world problems.
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, have been in our food for nearly 20 years. These modified organisms have helped the United State’s agriculture industry explode. GMOs were first patented in 1980 initially for a bacteria that would help contain oil spills. (Monsanto.com) This patent was actually the first patent on a living organism, that went the whole way to the Supreme Court, which ended in a five to four in favor of the patent. In 1996 the first GMO crop, being Round Up ready soybeans, were introduced to the public for purchase for the first time. (Monsanto.com) These crops were genetically modified to be resistant to a certain herbicide called Round Up. This herbicide was used to help control weeds that grew in fields. Many farmers use these types of genetically modified seeds along with no till farming to help prevent soil erosion, as well as to help keep moisture into the ground.
GMO’s can result bigger yields to create more efficient use of land, less use of herbicides and other pesticides (Benefits of GM Food 2015). The less room we need to grow a certain plant the more room we can use for others in the future. Or we can make 2-3 times more food for one harvest than if we didn’t use GMO’s. Not only does it benefit farmers and but also society worldwide (Benefits of GM Food 2015). The farmers get paid more which in toll makes them want to keep on harvesting for years to come. And it effects society in a way that we don’t
Herbicide resistance and pesticide production now go hand in hand in American farming. As much as 86% of corn, 90% of all soybeans, and 93% of cotton are GMO varieties. Genetic modification is now used in more than half of all planted crops in the U.S. You’re consuming genetically modified foods almost daily, unless you produce and grow all your food. Genetically modified crops—“none of them are labeled”—now include sweet corn, peppers, squash, zucchini, rice, sugar cane, “canola oil,” flax, chicory, peas, and papaya.