DISCLAIMER AND EXTERNAL FACTORS BEYOND OUR REACH

Damaged Soils
The major limiting factor in implementing our technologies and producing results, especially right up front, correlates directly to the degree of damage done to the soil by the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides which have been a common practice of modern agriculture for the past 60 years.

GE and GMO Crops

Soils can be highly compacted and have greatly reduced organic matter and humus contents. Soils are eroded and hold less water and weeds seem to proliferate. Soil biologies are imbalanced and reduced. Many species of critical and beneficial soil microorganisms no longer exist, yet they are essential in the food chain that should exist in soil life necessary to provide proper nutrition for the plants.

The biotech giants offer increasing synthetic chemical applications of fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides to maintain yields. Genetically Engineered (GE) and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) crops are proposed to reduce insect damage and ease weed control issues while trying to ‘inject’ characteristics not presently inherent in the plant. These plant traits are ‘selected’ or ‘injected’ because they grow in sickened and biologically imbalanced soils; respond to synthetic chemical fertility and can withstand highly toxic herbicides, fungicide and insecticide applications. These chemicals destroy soil biology; they steadily and gradually burn up organic matter and soil humus. Growing a plant with proper or improved nutrition seems to be the last consideration if it is a consideration at all. 

The more you follow the recommendations of these programs, the more you give away your freedom of choice and become more and more dependent on the biotech giants for the next quick fix they offer to a long list of problems they have created for you by the previous and continued used of their products. If you think this is NOT already in works consider the following information.

A) - If patented genes are outcrossed (cross-pollinated by wind, animal or insect)--even accidentally--to other commercial fields, and a person deliberately selects the outcrossed plants for subsequent planting, the patent holder has the right to control the use of those crops. This was supported in Canadian law in the case of Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser.

B) - An often cited controversy is a hypothetical "Technology Protection" technology dubbed 'Terminator'. This yet-to-be-commercialised technology would allow the production of first generation crops that would not generate seeds in the second generation because the plants yield sterile seeds. The patent for this so-called "terminator" gene technology is owned by Delta and Pine Land and the United States Department of Agriculture. Delta and Pine Land was bought by Monsanto in August 2006.

C) - Similarly, the hypothetical Trait-specific Genetic Use Restriction Technology, also known as 'Traitor' or 'T-gut', requires yearly application of a chemical to genetically-modified crops to reactivate engineered traits. This technology is intended both to limit the spread of genetically engineered plants, and to require farmers to pay yearly to reactivate the genetically engineered traits of their crops. Traitor is under development by companies including Monsanto and AstraZeneca.

Soil Destruction and Reduced Soil Organic Matter

Eventually, when you have accelerated the loss of your organic matter and humus to a point where you can no longer hold any measurable amount of biology and moisture, you’ll be done farming. Your soil simply will not grow another crop. Think that is ludicrous? Let’s look at what’s been accomplished in the last 60 years.

Once very fertile valleys in California and Texas now struggle to grow any quality and quantity of crops. Organic matter that was all above 3% and closer to 5% in the 1940s is now less than one-half of 1%, some places 1% to 2%. Overall, we’ve lost some 60% to 80% or more of our organic matter in the soil.

California alone is now destroying over 10,000 acres each year of soil.

Mexico destroys over 500,000 acres per year; 60% of Mexico’s farmland is severely degraded and another 30% is in varying stages of decay.

Worldwide, continuous chemical applications destroy over 10,000,000 acres each and every year to a point where no crop can grow; that’s over 27,000 acres each and every day.

Soils that have been productive for thousands of years are now being depleted and could be destroyed in less than 50 to 100 years.

Increased Pesticide Use

Chemical applications have increased dramatically since their inception to maintain yields.

Those promoting the use of herbicides said that resistance in weeds could not happen. Now our farm publications regularly publish reports on herbicide resistant weeds.

Pesticide use has increased 10 fold since WWII and we still have 200% more crop loss than when it started. We are evolving more and more insecticide and pesticide resistant bugs.

Allergies to humans and toxicity and death to animals have increased noticeably since the introduction of GE and GMO crops.

Soil erosion is occurring 20 times faster than replacement. We lose 3 billion tons of topsoil each year.

Only 3% of all water on Earth is fresh water and agriculture uses 80-90 % of it; water needs have doubled since the 1940s to grow the same crop.

Streams and Rivers Polluted by Ag Chemicals 

Aquifers, streams, rivers and even oceans are being polluted with synthetic chemical fertilizers primarily phosphate and nitrogen based fertilizers that are water soluble and leach quickly past the plant roots. From the ‘Corn Belt’ states alone, enough chemical fertilizers make their way into the water shed feeding into the Gulf of Mexico where it has created a “dead zone” of over 7,900 square miles, so depleted of oxygen that fish, crabs, shrimp and other marine life suffocate. Fertilizer causes explosive growth in algae which then dies and sinks to the bottom where it sucks up oxygen as it decays. This creates a deep layer of oxygen-depleted ocean where creatures either escape or die.

Nutrients Decreased; Cancers Increased

Aquifers, streams, rivers and even oceans are being polluted with synthetic chemical fertilizers primarily phosphate and nitrogen based fertilizers that are water soluble and leach quickly past the plant roots. From the ‘Corn Belt’ states alone, enough chemical fertilizers make their way into the water shed feeding into the Gulf of Mexico where it has created a “dead zone” of over 7,900 square miles, so depleted of oxygen that fish, crabs, shrimp and other marine life suffocate. Fertilizer causes explosive growth in algae which then dies and sinks to the bottom where it sucks up oxygen as it decays. This creates a deep layer of oxygen-depleted ocean where creatures either escape or die.

While crop production (by volume) has increased, plant nutrients and mineral contents have dramatically decreased from 30 to 60 percent and more. We have more lignins, non digestible fiber and cellulose in our plants that tie up nutrients and make them increasingly unavailable.

Soil health, plant health, animal health and human health have ALL steadily declined since WW II and the widespread use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, highly toxic herbicides, fungicides and insecticides began to make their way into main stream agriculture. 

Man made molecules of toxic rescue chemistry do not exist in nature’s blueprints for living organisms. Now the Center for Disease Control tell us statistically that one of every three (soon to be 1 in 2) persons in the United States can expect cancer during his or her lifetime. 60 years ago the number was closer to 1 in 200.