Can Gene-Altered Rice Rescue the Farm Belt?

[sintax]

Can Gene-Altered Rice Rescue the Farm Belt?

By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO
Published: August 16, 2005

It was a curious sight in northwest Missouri, where the growing season is considered to be too short for rice. Mr. Garst, a sixth-generation farmer, is hoping at least one of the 12 varieties on his test plot will sprout this fall. If one does, he will start growing rice plants that have been genetically engineered to produce proteins found in human milk, saliva and tears. Once converted into a powder form, those proteins would be used in granola bars and drinks to help infants in developing countries avoid death from diarrhea.

"I know in my heart that this will be better than anything else we are doing," said Mr. Garst, 35, who also farms soybeans and potatoes.

The rice project is backed by a private company called Ventria Bioscience but also has the support of the state and a local university, which are hoping to reverse the long decline in the area's farm economy. But the project has run into opposition from environmental groups and even the beer giant Anheuser-Busch amid fears about the health effects of genetically engineered crops, making Mr. Garst's little rice paddy a piece of a larger battlefield.

The economic and academic ambitions of the Missouri project make it unique, but the arguments echo those heard in similar disputes in Europe and, increasingly, in the United States. Critics of Ventria's plans are concerned that the gene-altered rice could contaminate regular rice crops and pose a health risk to consumers, scaring off buyers. Ventria and its academic partner in the project, Northwest Missouri State University, say they can control the potential for contamination. And they say the risks are minimal when balanced against the potential for the special rice to help cut the costs of drugs and save lives.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/16/business/16biorice.html?hp&ex=1124251200&en=95a831770e5888aa&ei=5094&partner=homepage

My Comment: Same tired refrain from the poisonous Agri-Business Chemical Giants and their PR machine.

[MadMichDem]

1. LOL! When I read Rice, I thought only of Condi!!!! n/t

[calikid]

2. It can, but it won't

Ventria and its academic partner in the project, Northwest Missouri State University, say they can control the potential for contamination.
Yea, and the Valdeze won't have any problems.
I'm a retired fifth generation family farmer from california, growing rice, tomatoes, soybeans. My siblings are trying to stay above the
water line, but it's hard with all the govertment intervention.
Rice is a subsidized water intensive crop, that uses alot of fossil fuels to produce. There's already enough rice in the world, if only the govt. wouldn't get in their own way and get it to the hungry.
We've been lied to by Monsanto and gang before, shame on them the greedy yahoos.

[hnsez]

3. The science of genetic engineering is sound - in the hands of independant

scientists. Unfortunately You cannot trust any scientist that works for agribusiness or the Bush administration.

[MadHound]

4. No, it will ruin the farm belt,

GM crops will complete the transformation of agribusiness from family/small/specialty farmers to nothing but factory farming and frankenfood as far as the eye can see.

First off, the vast majority of Missouri is unsuitable for growing rice, a water intensive crop. We are currently suffering through a severe drought, and I'm sure this man has had to pump out the water for his rice. Growing rice is foolish and wasteful in this part of the country, and impractical for many farmers here.

Second, GM rice could, and probably will cause allergic reactions in people. One of the untold horrors of GM crops in general is that many contain peanut genes, which given the number of people who are allergic to peanuts, is going to kill somebody, soon.

Third, cross pollination(contamination is a better word) with other non-GM crops. Say, for example I am also growing rice down the road from this guy. I'm growing heirloom rice, certified organic, to sell to a local haute cuisine restraunt. My crop is pollenated by this GM monstrosity. Well, first off, Ventrias has the legal right to come in and destroy my contaminated rice, since their GM pollen is patented and they have legal presidence to do so. However in addition to losing my entire rice crop, I will now have to go to all of the time, trouble and cash in order to become recertified as organic. So here I am, out of a crop and unable to fill my niche market for a couple of years at least. I'm screwed! And if I'm like most family farms, I've got a serious debt load and cannot afford all of this extra expense. I will probably go bankrupt, have to sell the farm, and be paying money back to Ventrias, Monsanto, or ADM for the rest of my life. And then the factory farms buy up my land and add it to their holdings.

Sorry but this another dangerous idea from the mad scientists in agribusiness. It also seems to be a pretty concerted effort to push the small niche and family farms out of business. If this keeps up, then all the little farmers' markets across the country will have to close, there will be no more subscription famrs, and Americans will be forced into buying and consuming unhealthy, tasteless food.

GM foods are flat out evil, and should be stopped. The science behind them hasn't been studied enough, and due to both FDA and USDA laxness, you and I are being used as guinea pigs in a very large experiment.

[hnsez]

5. As a scientist I agree completely, and any reasonable scientist would

The problem is the corporate and bushco scientists have all the power and anyone who says otherwise is silenced