GMO (Genetically Modified Organism), is a highly controversial, divisive and misunderstood term. As the term suggests it means the genetic material has been altered by man in some way. This can be as simple as selective breeding, something that has been going on in crops and livestock for centuries— to the manipulation and combination of genetic material from two different species like a gene segment from a bacteria being installed in a corn plant.

The latter is more accurately called a Geneticlly Engineered Organism and selective breeding of a plant or animal creates a hybrid.

When I’m asked if our corn is GMO, at the risk of being presumptuous, I assume the customer doesn’t care to know if we use hybrid crops on our farm and is more interested in the more recent science of genetic engineering, like BT, or Roundup ready corn. The answer is no, we do not use these kinds of technologies. The questions arise in some cases when someone sees a website that list all the crops that are GMO. These lists may contain sweet corn, strawberries, squash, potatoes and many more common vegetables. Please remember there are many varieties of the many vegetables out there and just because one or two of the options are GMO, don’t assume all farmers are using them. Infact the BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) corn mentioned earlier has been around for many years but no growers I know use it. Roundup ready corn is primarily used in field (or grain) corn. Roundup ready sweet corn is available, mostly used in processing varieties and again I don’t know any growers that use it. GMOs (you know I mean geneticlly engineered) are primarily and very common in grain crops like soy beans, grain corn and wheat. The ramifications of its use in grain corn alone are staggering. It’s in much of the feed fed to livestock, like beef cattle, hogs and milk cows. It’s in sweet drinks and snacks containing high fructose corn syrup. It’s even in your tortillas and tortilla chips.

Luckily these products can be avoided by reading the label; look for organic (organic products are not permitted to use GMOs), non-gmo or cane sugar. At our farmstand we try to offer options for people, like myself who are trying to avoid geneticlly engineered foods.