"Torsten Brinch" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 26 Apr 2003 07:01:04 -0500, "Gordon Couger"
wrote:


----- Original Message -----
From: "Torsten Brinch"
Newsgroups: sci.agriculture
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 3:00 AM
Subject: German GM wheat trials approved but site sabotaged


: On Fri, 25 Apr 2003 21:49:16 -0500, "Gordon Couger"
: wrote:
:
: The only major concern by farmers about RR wheat is it's
marketability.
:
: It should be a major concern to them, if their customers send signals
: of "Don't want it. Don't need it", as reported in the article.
:
: There is no point in growing something that we can't sell.
:
: Exactly. There is a distinct possibility that RR wheat for bread could
: fall in that category.
:
: The green lobby has wandered off coarse
:
: Perhaps from screaming 'The sky is falling' too much?
: Sorry, couldn't resist. :-)
:
: and are trying to block the most
: positive technology we have ever found for the environment
:
: Yeah, speak about hype.
:
: and ill-informed
: believers like Torsten have swallowed their story hook line and
sinker.
:
: Shrug. In the discussions we have had you have found me well-informed
: and not at all gullible.
:
: So called green groups that try to block GM crops and promote organic
: farming methods as the answer to the world food problems simple don't
: understand the basics of agriculture.
:
: Otoh, those who would try to block organic farming methods and promote
: GM crops as the answer to the worlds food problems would seem to be
: wildly off, too.
:
: It stands to reason that if GM crops were -the- answer to the worlds
: food problems, we would have no option but to persue it. Reality,
: however, is rather more complex.
:
Torsten,

Crops that use half the CO2 to grow snip

Yes, Gordon, what crops are you talking about?

The CO2 saved by reduced fuel use in farming soybeans and cotton in notill
cropping. That doesn't count the carbon sink that no till makes until the
organic matter in the soil reaches equilibrium.

GM crops aren't the whole answer but the methods they use not only can
introduce novel traits but speed up normal breeding programs. Since more and
more of the plant breeding is going commercial efficiency takes on more
importance.

Improved seed is the fastest and surest way to improve agriculture in the
third world. It take very little training and the seed keeps on replicating
it's self and the industry has forgone royalties on substance crops for the
third world.

It is not the commercial sector that is driving the commercialization of
crop breeding it is the lack of public funding to support crop breeders and
ag research in general. When I went to work for Oklahoma State 12 years ago
over half the work we did was government funded now almost all is funded by
industry.

If you don't like commercialization some one has to pay for the research and
deploying what ever methods they decide to use.

There sure isn't any significant amount of the greens money being spent on
solutions. With Africa on the edge of famine all they do is try to make it
worse by spreading lies about GM food.

Gordon