Good Bye Organic? I Hardly Knew Ye!

Just when I was really starting to feel good about cleaning up my diet and switching over to eating organic food, I noticed some rather alarming articles popping up in my Inbox over the past few weeks. The first one was from Organic Valley, an organization in Wisconsin that promotes farmers who grow and raise organic food. The article stated that after six years, hundreds of hours of time, and thousands of dollars of money of their own coffers, the organic community lost their battle to stop a genetically engineered form of alfalfa (called Roundup Ready Alfalfa, or RRA), the first perennial genetically modified organism, from being released with no restrictions by the United States Department of Agriculture. RRA seeds have been genetically engineered with a special bacteria that makes the plants resistant to pesticides that are used to kill weeds. When growing RRA, farmers can spray an entire field, killing the weeds, without killing the Alfalfa. Both the engineered alfalfa and the Roundup were created by the Monsanto Corporation, located in Creve Couer Missouri. Monsanto is the largest seed engineering company in the world and also the leading producer of the pesticide, Roundup. It is also the inventor of the bovine growth hormone that is given to cows to make them produce more milk, which ultimately winds up in the milk and the bodies of those who drink it. Unless you drink organic milk.
"What does this have to do with me?" one might ask.
To put it simply, lifting restrictions on GMO's (genetically modified organisms) to the farming industry threatens the contamination of organic crops. The contamination of organic crops happens when bees take pollen from a GMO crop and pollinate an organic plant. The pollinated plant then will then carry the GMO traits and can no longer be considered organic. Because bees are sometimes carried long distances during high winds, the threat of contamination is very real. Alfalfa is generally used as feed for livestock.
During the few short weeks following the RRA approval, the USDA has also given its approval for farmers to plant Roundup Ready sugar beets and a type of genetically modified corn aimed at producing biofuel corn. As with the alfalfa, the approval threatens the future of organic crops due to the threat of contamination. According to stopagingnow.com, "Scientists say that the proliferation of corn engineered for ethanol production threatens to destroy the integrity of corn crops grown for food." According to the same website, "The Center for Food Safety says that bio-fuel corn will inevitably contaminate food-grade corn."
Yesterday, the CEO for Organic Valley, George L Siemon, put out the following statement:
Last week, the USDA released yet another GMO crop for planting this spring'"thermostable alpha-amylase corn, called "Enogen," developed by Syngenta, a biotech conglomerate based in Switzerland. This variety of corn will produce an enzyme that softens the kernel in order to aid the extraction of ethanol. It is intended to be used solely for ethanol production and planted only near ethanol plants; however, research has shown over and over again that industrial-use corn can and does transfer to corn meant for food production. For instance, the Mexican government has confirmed that as much as 95% of their traditional non-GMO maize crops in two northern states are contaminated with GMOs, despite a national ban on planting GMO crops.
Organic Valley continues to deplore the USDA's recent approvals of GMO crops without the consideration of organic and non-GMO markets and farmer livelihoods. We wholeheartedly support organic crop, dairy and livestock farmers and organic manufacturers whose markets, feed and ingredients will now be at greater risk due to USDA actions. If the USDA refuses to protect us, then we must protect ourselves as organic farmers, by refusing to purchase GMO seed, and as consumers, by voting with our dollars for organic foods. We maintain our vow to continue the legal fight against GMOs for as long as it takes to protect the integrity of organic food and farming.
George L. Siemon, founding farmer and C-E-I-E-I-O of Organic Valley

(Note the twist on the "CEO's title.)
Within the span of a few short weeks, the future of the integrity of pure, unaltered organic food has been put in jeopardy. This is somewhat hard to believe when it seemed to me that the organic movement was just starting to take off.
I put my 2-cents-worth in with my representatives. If you feel strongly about preserving the future of wholesome, organic food, as I do, you can do the same by going here, http://preview.tinyurl.com/4rj73l7.
With the inevitable proliferation of genetically engineered food, I'm sure the USDA will finally start requiring labels on food packages that will alert consumers to the presence of genetically modified ingredients.
Or will they?