In a study at Iowa State University, entomologist Aaron Gassmann discusses the development of Superbugs as a result of the use of Monsanto’s genetically modified corn seed. Dr. Gassmann found that the western corn rootworm might be developing resistance to and overcoming the affects of the pesticides used in the seed to kill them.
(See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH4OwBYDQe8 to view The World According to Monsanto.)
(See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH4OwBYDQe8 to view The World According to Monsanto.)
In the past, farmers deterred pests through religious crop rotation. Today, with the increased demand for corn driven by profit and the ethanol fuel industry, farmers are relying upon Monsanto’s seed to kill the bugs and eliminate the need for traditional deterrents. Unfortunately, it appears that after three consecutive years of using the seed, the pests become Superbugs resistant to the toxins.
Even though Dr. Gassmann’s study focuses on Iowa farms, entomologist Ken Ostlie of the University of Minnesota has also seen Superbug development in Illinois and Minnesota and believes the farms now identified are just the tip of the iceberg.
To fight the negative publicity, Monsanto’s spokesperson Lee Quarles said, “We have initiated a new study with Dr. Gassmann to better understand these initial data and determine if and how it may impact our integrated pest management recommendation to growers. The study will help us define and better understand exactly what is happening in areas planted with corn-on-corn and those areas faced with high-population of insects as is occurring in these four fields.” (To understand Monsanto’s strategy, see The Power of Madison Avenue: How the Lie Dances Around the Truth below.)
Lee Quarles also stated that there are "several new products in the pipeline which could work as a substitute if significant resistant develops" and also said that "there is no reason for farmers to stop using the current seed." But some farmers are taking a different view and are switching to insect-proof seeds sold by Monsanto’s competitors and are again spraying synthetic insecticides on their fields to combat the insects. An “out of the frying pan and into the fire” moment.
Monsanto’s genetically modified corn seed was first released in 2003 and in 2009 the first fields that suffered from extensive pest damage appeared. That means that in less than 7 years Monsanto managed to alter the ecosystem in ways so dramatically that the damage done can never be reversed. The best that they can do is try to delay the current damage and develop even more deadly seed. Indeed, Monsanto and Syngenta are using a medical breakthrough called RNA interference to step up the game. By altering the RNA of a crop, it becomes deadly for bugs that ingest the genetic code. It’s just the latest and greatest, and the way Monsanto plays the game, it is only a temporary stopgap.
Monsanto’s Roundup Ready seed, designed to survive application of the herbicide Roundup has been a raging failure. Millions of acres of land in more than 20 states that have been subjected to Roundup Ready seed are now nursing fields of Superweeds resistant to Roundup. But profit always speaks louder than reason. Check out their website at www.monsanto.com for their latest monstrosities and “we love us” propaganda.
It’s a shame that we haven’t yet learned that mucking with the balance of nature is a no-win battle. We always seem to overlook this simple truth as we hyper-focus on profit and a single “enemy” that must be defeated. Here it is the western corn rootworm, and we’ve treated it as if we can actually beat it. Sadly, we’ve forgotten about the overwhelming evidence in the world that tells us that life always finds a way through… ALWAYS. The “enemy” cannot be stopped by poison or profit and the corn rootworm is proving it one failed crop at a time.
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