No-till farming with GM crops is “environmentally friendly”.
Claims of environmental benefits are unsound. GM herbicide-tolerant crops, such as Roundup Ready soy, have increased the use of toxic chemicals and led to glyphosate-resistant superweeds. These superweeds and other pests now…
Roundup (Monsanto’s glyphosate) is a benign, biodegradable herbicide.
Roundup is not biodegradable, and was forced by law to remove that claim from its packaging. Roundup persists in the environment and has toxic effects on wildlife. Roundup (Glyphosate) is toxic, and…
GM crops can “coexist” with non-GM.
“Coexistence” rapidly results in widespread contamination of non-GM and organic crops. Germany passed a law making GM crop growers liable for economic damages to non-GM farmers resulting from GM contamination. The law…
All Farmers Are Rich
Do you hear the farmers among you laughing? I can’t think of a single farmer I’ve known whose goal was to get rich. It’s usually more like, “I hope I can make…
Agriculture is the chief cause of climate change.
Agricultural greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions (11% of U.S. GhGs) are modest compared with those from the electricity (25%), transportation (27%) and industrial (24%) sectors. Nonetheless, agriculture’s contribution to climate change is substantial.[1]…
Soil has no role in climate change.
Soil has everything to do with the climate![2] Contrary to popular belief, the largest source of U.S. agricultural GhG emissions is not cow burps! It’s soil management — mostly related to the…
Trees are the biggest carbon “sinks.”
Significant emissions reductions can be achieved by planting trees and ending the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and we should do everything we can to protect and grow our forests. An even…
Climate-friendly agriculture can’t include livestock.
A sustainable food system can and should include livestock. The shift from diversified farms that incorporated crops and livestock to industrial monocultures and confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) has led to the…
Agriculture’s priority should be feeding the world, not worrying about climate change.
There is currently more than enough food produced to feed the global population according to the United Nations Environment Program — but much of it is lost to food waste (another source…
Agriculture is over-regulated and farmers need fewer regulations.
Agriculture is one of the least regulated industries in the U.S., especially when it comes to environmental regulations. The real issue with regulations on agriculture is that they should not be one-size-fits-all,…
