Monsanto Research Paper

| Monsanto continues to grow with future acquisitions of other companies in the industry (i.e. Asgrow Agronomics, Holden’s Foundation Seeds, Corn States Hybrid Service, and DeKalb Genetics Corp.).- Monsanto expands its production of genetically modified seed products which are herbicide tolerant. These include, “Roundup Ready Canola,” “Roundup Ready Cotton,” and “Roundup Ready Corn.”- Monsanto is also the first company to introduce a dual genetically engineered seed with protection from both insects and herbicides (cotton and corn seeds).

With environmental concerns garnering increased international publicity and concern, the debate over no-till or conventional tillage farming has escalated to a heated argument. No-till farming entered the debate over organic versus traditional farming in the past few decades as a possible solution to the issues of erosion, runoff, and pollution, but the downside of additional herbicides scared many from the plow-free farm model. With strong opposition on both sides, no-till farming has seen greatly variable levels of acceptance worldwide. This complex issue seems to somewhat boil down to the concerns over herbicides. Their profound impacts on health, economy, and the environment make them highly controversial. Perhaps both sides of the debate could be satisfied by implementation of recent research in regenerative, organic no-till agriculture and by use of tax credits as an economic cushion for new no-till farmers, like those used in Australia.

The threat of super weeds is very real. The most common herbicide used, glyphosate, is also used in the common weed killer Round-Up. This means that if these superweeds get in our front yards, they are going to be very difficult to remove. Over 62.2 million acres of farmland are already infested with these herbicide resistant weeds. Nevertheless,

A farmer grows these soybeans which then only require one application of weed killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste.

Monsanto has various stakeholder groups all across the globe. The key stakeholders are: members of the global financial community; farmers and other agricultural organizations; Monsanto employees; animal feed producers and distributors; insect/pest control organizations; federal, state and local agricultural, regulatory and environmental agencies; and the list goes on and on (Beyond the Rows, 2012). Monsanto states that their main goals is to provide stakeholders with better information regarding all of their activities and that they are committed to making meaningful strides to report on environmental sustainability performance throughout the world (Beyond the Rows, 2012).

The common methods used to manage weeds include prevention and cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical means. Herbicides can be defined as crop- protecting chemicals used to kill weedy plants or interrupt normal plant growth. Herbicides provide a convenient, economical, and effective way to help manage weeds. They allow fields to be planted with less tillage, allow earlier planting dates, and provide additional time to perform the other tasks that farm or personal life require. Due to reduced tillage, soil erosion has been reduced from about 3.5 billion tons in 1938 to one billion tons in 1997, thus reducing soil from entering waterways and decreasing the quality of the nation’s surface water. Without herbicide use, no-till agriculture becomes impossible. However, herbicide use also carries risks that include environmental, ecological, and human health effects. It is important to understand both the benefits and disadvantages associated with chemical weed control before selecting the appropriate

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, (USDA) is an administrative agency that provides, “leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy,” (“About the USDA”). The USDA is the U.S. Federal executive department that consists of 29 agencies as well as offices that are located in 4,500 different locations in the country. It has many purposes such as: improving economic opportunities in rural America, improving public health and nutrition, regulating food safety, and preserving natural resources through conservation. The USDA was created on May 15, 1862, by President Abraham Lincoln, which he called “The People’s Department.” Since then, the Department of Agriculture

Putting small farmers out of business, a history of paying lobbyists to block government regulations on genetically modified organisms, destroying the environment, lacking testing on their products; these are all characteristics of Monsanto’s company. Monsanto is a company that provides the largest producer of genetically engineered seeds (Neuman). Monsanto’s corporation is a danger to our health and environment.

He creates an interesting view on how weeds across the United States are becoming more resistant to glyphosates and other conventional herbicides. The evolutionary process of super weeds is also discussed and why the process has happened so quickly. Since the purpose of the article is to detail the emergence of super weeds it is unbiased for the most part. However, based upon the negative portrayal of farmers choice to use glyphosates as a quick and easy weed killer, it appears to hold some bias towards herbicides, their users, and their producers. This piece is written in an easily understandable manner and would be suitable for almost any reader. It will be beneficial to use this document since it gives a general explanation of the effects glyphosates have on plants and how herbicide resistant weeds are harming the agricultural

Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Soybean (RRS) is a genetically engineered variety of soybeans, which contains gene sequences from a cauliflower mosaic virus (CMV), a petunia, and a bacterium (Agrobacterium sp.) (Greenpeace, 1997). The two bacterial genes, in short, provide for resistance against Roundup, resulting in a crop of soybeans that can be sprayed with Roundup to protect it from weeds, while not injuring it. In 1996, U.S. farmers harvested about 1.2 million acres of Roundup Ready Soybeans, and although this crop represented only about 2 percent of U.S. soybeans, it will be mixed with conventional soybeans – unlabeled – to become part of as much as 60 percent of all processed foods that contain some soy-based ingredient (Bruno, 1997). In the United States, most consumers are likely to have already ingested small amounts of transgenic soy in such common food as margarine, chocolate, baby food, and

In in an interview done by Live Science Anne Yonkers said "We should be using the precautionary principle with GMOs, and assume that GMOs have to be demonstrated to be good rather than assume that they are good.” (Yonkers 5), modified crops accelerated the evolution in weeds at an incredible rate making them develop resistance faster. A common weed called Palmer that grows near soybeans evolved to be resistance to glyphosate an active ingredient in many weed killers such as Roundup. Do to how resistance this strain is it has spread to more than seventy-six countries and that is just the palmer weed; twenty-four other glyphosate resistant weeds have appeared in eight-teen different countries as well. Some farmers lose more than half their yield and while forcing others to go bankrupt cause of the massive money loss. With malnutrition being a very real problem can modified food be a possible solution?

Soybeans are beans which are from the legume family which are native to East Asia. They can grow on a variety of soils and wide range of climates, ranging from snowy to tropical climates (Rob). Soybeans are used to make food such as tofu and soymilk, although it is most often processed into oil, which can be used for cooking, or sold for biodiesel production. The left-over which are not used for oil can be used for animal food due to the high-protein fiber which is in the left over. The GM Soybean, also called Roundup Ready (RR) Soybean, was developed by the biotech company Monsanto and was commercially available to farmers in 1996 (Editor, 2008). This GM soybean contains a gene that makes it resistant to herbicides which would

Many varieties of genetically engineered crops have been designed to decrease the need for chemicals, particularly pesticides. Herbicide-tolerant varieties are among the most widely used type of genetically-modified crop, which enables farmers to use a single herbicide to eradicate weeds rather than rely on a cocktail of pesticides and herbicides. Eliminating weeds in this fashion also decreases the need for soil tillage, which can negatively impact soil ecology. (Ford,

Companies and researchers alternate the genetic structure of crops to withstand pesticides, non-GM weeds and insects can gradually develop a resistance to the chemicals. At this point farmers actually have to increase their use of pesticides. These practice causes weed populations to adapt to the herbicide and eventually become resistant to it. Once these superweeds emerge farmers must find a new herbicides and more potent products.

1 am not surprised of the outcome of your meeting with Mr. Smythe-Jones (CFO). However, I cannot answer your request until I heard from local management. As it was agreed on the last meeting, we were precluded ,from doing any work without first getting approval from management at the headquarters and we were instructed by local management from doing anything until they finalized what was required from us. It appears to me to be a Catch 22 game! 1 believe we (your Firm and ours) should not fall in the game of passing the ball to someone else before getting a clear understanding of what is going on. We have had several meetings with local management where the issue has been raised and were responded that other priorities were established by the headquarters (on my end I thought they tell you everything they have been instructed of locally, unfortunately it does not seem to be the case). In my opinion it looks very easy that you accept from management at the headquarters to hold us accountable from something we are not responsible for, and this does not mean I do not understand the pressure you are receiving on your end. However, we are not the enemy. 1 am not sending copy of this message to our client because I believe that internal issues have to be