4th Generation West Texas farmer calls for change

Like many West Texas youth, Eric Herm left his family's Ackerly farm looking for a life away from duststorms, mesquite brush and empty horizons. After graduating from Abilene Christian University with a degree in broadcast journalism, Herm traveled and worked for 10 years before returning to his family farm with a new perspective..
"This land has been in my family for 100 years," Herm said, noting his father, both grandfathers and four great-grandfathers farmed the land..
Now seven years into running the farm where he lives with his wife and two sons, Herm is battling the effects of genetically modified seed and the impact of corporations that sell farmers the seed and the pesticides and herbicides to use along with it..
After extensive research, he published his first book about the burden commercialized agriculture has on the environment, the economy, the consumer and the farmer. "Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth: A Path to Agriculture's Higher Consciousness," was published in October 2010. Herm will be signing copies of the book from 4-6 p.m. Thursday at the Heritage Museum of Big Spring, 510 Scurry St..
"This book is about welcoming nature back into our lives," Herm said..
After a synopsis of Herm's personal journey back to his birthplace, the book begins with a history and explanation of the dramatic increase in the use of genetically modified seed.
Genetically modified Roundup Ready seed is marketed to farmers as a way to save money because it requires less maintenance. While the product may be cost-effective in the short-term, Herm encourages farmers to consider the broader consequences of the product and the chemicals required to maintain it..
Herm attributes issues such as soil erosion, food and ground water contamination, extermination of beneficial insects and a lack of nutritional elements in food to the use of genetically modified seed, herbicides and pesticides..
"I think if farmers really knew what we were doing to everything that most of it would stop with the GMO seed with the excessive use of herbicides and pesticides, but we've been trained to look at everything through an economic lens," he said..
"When we truly look at where our money is going and who we're supporting and what those products are doing to our food and our environment -- it's a lose-lose situation."
Along with accounts of his personal experiences, Herm cites more than 200 sources in the book. And each problem is followed by suggestions and resources for a solution..
His call for an agricultural revolution does not apply only to farmers. He writes about issues such as the use of genetically modified seed to consumers who are affected by the pesticides, growth hormones and other additives in food..
"We don't all have to be farmers to grow food, just because you don't have 5 acres or 500 acres doesn't mean you can't grow your own food," he said..
Herm encourages consumers to buy organically grown produce at local farmers' markets and to demand local grocery stores carry organic and local products..
"We have responsibilities not just as farmers but as consumers," he said. "Your dollar speaks often louder than your vote.".
Herm currently is working on his next book. Though he acknowledges his calls for change may be unwelcome by established farmers, he said he hopes each generation of farmers will incorporate their predecessors' knowledge and experience with the new information available..
"To me, it's about simplifying things," he said. "This is an opportunity for us to transcend everything -- culture, religion -- because everybody eats and everybody drinks and without healthy food and water we're nothing."
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For more information, visit www.sonofafarmer.com or look for Eric Herm's page on Facebook.
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Written By: Megan Lea Buck
Megan Lea Buck can be reached at mbuck@mrt.com.

[Infromation taken from:http://www.mywesttexas.com/life/article_f9a2ed03-526e-57a5-9ba5-7c0cb7d6d31f.html]

Cases of Animals Avoiding GMO Crops

Geese avoiding GM Soybeans

A flock of geese visit an Illinois pond each year and feed on soybeans from a nearby 50-acre field. The year the farmer planted GM soybeans on half the field, he was shocked to discover that the geese ate only from the non-GM side. There was a line right down the middle of his field with the natural beans on one side and the genetically engineered beans, untouched by the geese, on the other. Agricultural write C. F. Marley reported, “I’ve never seen anything like it. What’s amazing is that the field with Roundup Ready beans had been planted with conventional beans the previous year, and the geese ate them. This year they won’t go near that field.” (Mark Newhall, “He Say’s Geese Don’t Like Roundup Ready Beans,” Farm Show 24.no 5-2000.)


Cattle avoiding GM Corn
In 1998, Iowa farmer Howard Vlieger filled one side of his sixteen-foot trough with the Bt corn and dumped non-GM corn on the other. When he let his cows into the pen, they all congregated on the side with the natural corn. When it was gone they nibbled a bit on the Bt, but quickly changed their minds and walked away. (Howard Vleiger, Personal communication with Jeffery M. Smith author, 2003)

Inspired by this story, several farmers in Northwest Iowa conducted their own tests. They let two or three cows into the feeding area at a time. The cows came to the first trough containing Bt corn, sniffed it and withdrew. They then walked over to the next trough and finished off the non-GM corn. Some would then go back for a sniff or taste of the Bt variety, but then walk away. This same scenario was repeated by both cows and pigs over and over again on six or seven farms in 1998 and again in 1999. (Bill Lashmett, personal communication with Jeffery M. Smith author, 2003)

After a 2000 campaign speech to farmers by Al Gorse, Vlieger told the presidential candidate about his cow’s preference for non-GM corn. Gore asked if other farmers noticed that their animals responded differently to GM food. About 12 to 15 hands went up. (Vliegers,pers.comm.)

Cattle even broke through a fence and walked through a field of Roundup Ready corn in order to consume the non-GM variety on the other side. (Steve Sprinkel, “When corn hits the Fan.”)

Squirrels avoiding GM corn

A retired Iowa farmer fed squirrels through the winter months by placing corncobs on feeders. One year, he put non-GM corn in one feeder and Bt in another about 20 feet away. The squirrels ate all the corn off the natural cobs but didn’t tough the Bt. Each time the farmer refilled the feeder with natural corn, it was soon gone. The Bt remained untouched, Out of curiosity, he didn’t refill the natural corn. During the coldest days of winter, the Bt cob remained intact, After about 10 days, the squirrels ate about an inch off the tip of an ear, but that’s all. The farmer felt sorry for the squirrels and put natural corn back into the feeders, which the squirrels once again consumed. (Vlieger,pers.comm.)


Raccoons avoiding GM corn
Raccoons devoured organic corn, but didn’t touch the Bt variety growing down the road. (Sprinkel, “When Corn hits the Fan”)


Mice avoiding GM corn
Mice consumed a pile of non-GM corn in a barn in Holland, but left the GM pile nearby untouched.

A Dutch undergraduate student offered mice a choice between Gm and non-GM , mixture of corn and soy. Over a nine-week period, the mice consumed 61% non-Gm and 39% GM food. When forced half them mice to eat only GM and the other half to eat non-GM, the GM group ate more food, gained less weight, and “seemed less active wile in their cages.” When picked up to be weighed at the end of the experiment, he said that the GM-fed mice were “more distressed….Many were running round and round the basket, scrabbling desperately in the sawdust, and even frantically jumping up the sides, something I’ve never seen before.” ( Hinze Hogenfoorn, “Genetically Modified Corn (Zea mays) and Soya (Glycine soja or Their Natural Varieties-Do Muce Have a Preference?” www.talk2000.nl/mice/talk-Exended.htm )
Elk avoids GM corn
A couple in Minnesota reported, “A captive elk escaped and took up residence in our crops of organic corn and soy. It had total access to the neighboring fields of GM crops, but never went into them.” (Mexiani and Warwic, “Seeds of Doubt.”)

Rats avoiding GM Tomatoes

The Washington Post reported tat rodents, usually happy to munch on tomatoes, turned their noses up at the genetically modified FlavrSavr tomato that scientists were so anxious to test on them. Calgene CEO Roger Salquist said of his tomato, “I gotta tell you, you can be Chef Boyardee and…[they] are still not going to like them.” (Rick Weiss, “Biotech Food Raises a Crop of Questions,” Washington Post, 15AUG99: A1) These rates had to be force-fed the tomatoes through gastric tubes, several developed stomach lesions; 7 of 40 died within two weeks.


[This information taken from Genetic Roulette by: Jeffrey M. Smith page-59]
Click this link to check out this book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Genetic-Roulette-Documented-Genetically-Engineered/dp/0972966528/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316215355&sr=8-1

Farmers report pig and cow sterilities from GM Corn

In the early spring of 2001, the conception rates of sows (female pigs) on Jerry Rosman’s Iowa farm dropped from 80% to 20%. Most animals had false pregnancies, some delivered bags of water and some stopped menstruating altogether. Rosman, an animal nutrition consultant, along with veterinarian and a nutritionist, did extensive testing. They ruled out common causes of reproductive problems. Rosman had fed his hogs GM corn since 1997. When he switched to Bt Liberty Link varieties from Garst Hybrids in 2000, the problem started. It persisted through most of 2001 with “several brief upswings in pregnancy rates” considering with the times when sows were fed the previous year’s (1999) corn..
Four nearby farmers told Rosman they too were having hog conception problems and where using Garst Corn. Right after the Farm Bureau Spokesman ran a story on Rosman in 2002, other farmers called complaining of sterile pigs. As media coverage expanded, so did the calls. USDA microbiologist Mark Rasmussen said, “After Jerry’s incident was publicized, about a dozen farmers in the Midwest contacted me to discuss similar problems.” Rosman spoke with at least 20. He said many had consulted veterinarians and conducted tests and that sterility affected both male and females. Some noted that the problem went away when they switched corn varieties. Not all were using Garst, but all where using GM with similar genetic backgrounds (maturity, height, etc.).
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Three Farmers reported similar issues with cows. In September 2005, Rosman fed some of the 2000 corn to three cows, just after they gave birth. He said they should have started menstruation after three months and been bred, Eight months later, however, they had still not started cycling and were sold. A semen check of the bull fed the same corn showed it was nearly infertile. Rosman also fed 11 heifers the corn after they weaned at eight months. Although they usually start menstruating at nine or ten months, his never started, they where sold at 13 months.
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In the summer of 2001, Garst was given a sample of Rosman’s corn for analysis. About six weeks later, Rosman’s agronomist was told by Garst that the sample had been regrettably lost. When Rosman offered to furnish more the company did not return his calls. When the pig sterility hit the TV news the following year, however, the company announced that they had done an investigation and concluded that their corn was not at fault..
Rosman’s corn was collateral for a USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan. The local office had granted a loan extension, but the local manager told Rosman that the national head of operations ordered that it be confiscated instead; a driver revealed that it was sent to a Cargill plant to be processed for human consumption..
The FSA refused to provide Rosman with the records related to his corn. It took six separate Freedom of Information Act requests, two from Rosman, one from each of three nonprofit organizations and one from a US congressman, for the FDA to turn over part of his file. Several documents omitted important data..
Rosman has declared bankruptcy and no further studies evaluated whether certain GMO corn varieties may create reproductive problems in livestock of humans.
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[This information taken from Genetic Roulette by: Jeffrey M. Smith page-37].For more information on Jerry Rosman's case: http://www.cropchoice.com/leadstryb7be.html?recid=1661
Click this link to check this book out on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Genetic-Roulette-Documented-Genetically-Engineered/dp/0972966528/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316215355&sr=8-1

Inhaled Bt corn pollen may trigger disease in humans and animals.

Virtually an entire Filipino village of about 100 people living adjacent to a large field of Bt corn were stricken by a disease. The symptoms, which appeared at the time the corn was producing pollen, included headaches, dizziness, extreme stomach pain, vomiting, chest pains, fever, and allergies, as well as respiratory, intestinal, and skin reactions.

“There was this really pungent smell that got into our throats,” said resident Mary Jane Malayon. “It was like we were breathing in pesticides.” (Ibid) She and her extended family all became ill, and “within days, people living a little further away….where experiencing similar symptoms.” (Ibid)

When her family moved out to stay with relatives, their symptoms abated within a week, but the person who rented their house became ill. At least three other families found that their symptoms disappeared when they moved away and appeared again upon returning. Such a response points to an environmental toxin or allergen, rather than an infectious disease.

Mae-wan Ho, director of the Institute for Science in Society, interviews many of the Filipinos in 2006. She reports: “As part of an investigation to determine what made the villagers ill, one of the farmers was ‘volunteered’ to venture inside the Bt maize (corn) field in the presence of more than 10 witnesses, as he explained to me via an interpreter. ‘Within five minutes, I could not breathe and felt something extraordinary on my face,’ he recalled. The others could see that his face had swollen up and remarked that it was ‘very dangerous.’ In fact, the farmer is ill to this day. Every now and again, he feels weak in his limbs and numb in his hands and feet. He held up the back of his right hand to show me the index finger. A yellowish-brown discoloration and thickening of the fingernail had developed since he was exposed too the GM pollen…
“Many if not all the villagers exposed to GM-maize pollen in 2003 have remained ill to this day. Furthermore, there have been five unexplained deaths in the village. In total, 96 people got sick. In addition, nine horsed, four water buffalos, and 37 chickens died soon after feeding on GM maize. (Mae-Wan Ho, “GM Ban long Overdue, Dozens Ill & Five deaths in Philippines,” ISIS Press Release, 02JUN06.)

Terje Traavik, Director of the Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology, learned about the incident during the fall od 2003 and arranged for blood samples from 39 individuals to be taken in October. In all cases, IgA, IgG, and IgM antibodies were detected in response to Bt-toxin. The IgA and IgM reactions indicate recent exposure to Bt within the previous three months and are consistent with an interpretation that the disease might have been created by inhalation of the Bt-pollen from the field.

Symptoms reappeared with the same corn

The corn was a hybrid between Mon 810, a BT crop from Monsanto, and the conventional Dekalb 818 variety. It was first introduced to the region in 2003. Although it was not replanted in the stricken village in 2004, other regions on the same island of Mindanao did use the corn variety. Similar reactions where reported in at least four villages, all occurring hen the corn was shedding pollen.


In South Sepaka, 31 people said that they fell ill while the corn was pollinating, and in an elementary school in Magallon, approximately 20 children (aged 5-10 years) developed coughs, sneezing, asthma, and breathing difficulties. (Ibid) “Thirty-two people in Tunka,” according to Ho, “suffered from headache, stomach-ache, dizziness, diarrhea, vomiting and difficulty in breathing,”(Ibid) An advocacy officer for Mindanao, where the villagers were located, also reported that people experienced” when “the first case of alleged harmful effects of the flowering Bt corn was documented.” ( Allen V. Estabillo, “Farmer’s Group Urged Ban on Planting Bt Corn; Says It Could Be Causes of Illnesses,” Mindanews) Before they got sick most residents had not known that the planted corn was Bt.

When Traavik’s team conducted blood tests in 2003, they also tested how much Bt_toxin (Cry2AB) was being produced by the corn. The study, which is not yet published, showed that the levels varied considerably in the kernels, even from the same plant. The levels ranged from 0,014 ug to 0.9 ug, with other kernels expressing levels of both above and below the limits of detection for the test. This raises questions about the stability of the transgene or its expression. It is possible that the particular corn variety had been altered in some whay only in that area, which may explain why similar results were not reported elsewhere.

The potential dangers of breathing GM Pollen had been identified years earlier by the UK Joint Food Safety and Standards Group. In a letter to the US FDA in 1998, they had even warned that genes from inhaled pollen might transfer into the DNA of bacteria that reside in the respiratory system. (N. Tomlinson of UF MAFF’s Joint Food Safety and Standards Group 04DEC98 letter to the US FDA commenting on its draft document, “Guidance for Industry: Use of Antibiotic Resistance marker Genes in Transgenic Plants,” http://www.food,gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/acnfp1998.pdf)

When the reports surfaced about the sickness in the Philippines, advocates for GM crops were quick to dismiss them. There was not, however, been a thorough investigation and very little research has been done to follow-u[ on this significant red flag.

This information taken from Genetic Roulette by: Jeffrey M. Smith page-35.
Click this link to check out this book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Genetic-Roulette-Documented-Genetically-Engineered/dp/0972966528/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316215355&sr=8-1

List of genetically modified foods

It’s virtually impossible to provide a complete list of genetically modified food (GM food) in the United States because there aren’t any laws for genetically modified crops!Some estimates say as many as 30,000 different products on grocery store shelves are "modified." That's largely because many processed foods contain soy. Half of North America's soy crop is genetically engineered!

Rapeseed - Resistance to certain pesticides and improved rapeseed cultivars to be free of erucic acid and glucosinolates. Gluconsinolates, which were found in rapeseed meal leftover from pressing, are toxic and had prevented the use of the meal in animal feed. In Canada, where "double-zero" rapeseed was developed, the crop was renamed "canola" (Canadian oil) to differentiate it from non-edible rapeseed.

Honey - Honey can be produced from GM crops. Some Canadian honey comes from bees collecting nectar from GM canola plants. This has shut down exports of Canadian honey to Europe.

Cotton - Resistant to certain pesticides - considered a food because the oil can be consumed. The introduction of genetically engineered cotton plants has had an unexpectedly effect on Chinese agriculture. The so-called Bt cotton plants that produce a chemical that kills the cotton bollworm have not only reduced the incidence of the pest in cotton fields, but also in neighboring fields of corn, soybeans, and other crops.

Rice - Genetically modified to contain high amounts of Vitamin A. Rice containing human genes is to be grown in the US. Rather than end up on dinner plates, the rice will make human proteins useful for treating infant diarrhoea in the developing world.

Soybean - Genetically modified to be resistant to herbicides - Soy foods including, soy beverages, tofu, soy oil, soy flour, lecithin. Other products may include breads, pastries, snack foods, baked products, fried products, edible oil products and special purpose foods.

Sugar cane - Made resistant to certain pesticides. A large percentage of sweeteners used in processed food actually comes from corn, not sugar cane or beets. Genetically modified sugar cane is regarded so badly by consumers at the present time that it could not be marketed successfully.

Tomatoes - Made for a longer shelf life and to prevent a substance that causes tomatoes to rot and degrade.

Corn - Resistant to certain pesticides - Corn oil, flour, sugar or syrup. May include snack foods, baked goods, fried foods, edible oil products, confectionery, special purpose foods, and soft drinks.

Sweet corn - genetically modified to produces its own insecticide. Officials from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have said that thousands of tonnes of genetically engineered sweetcorn have made their way into the human food supply chain, even though the produce has been approved only for use in animal feed. Recently Monsanto, a biotechnology food producer, said that about half of the USA's sweetcorn acreage has been planted with genetically modified seed this year.

Canola - Canola oil. May include edible oil products, fried foods, and baked products, snack foods.

Potatoes - (Atlantic, Russett Burbank, Russet Norkatah, and Shepody) - May include snack foods, processed potato products and other processed foods containing potatoes.

Flax - More and more food products contain flax oil and seed because of their excellent nutritional properties. No genetically modified flax is currently grown. An herbicide-resistant GM flax was introduced in 2001, but was soon taken off the market because European importers refused to buy it.

Papaya - The first virus resistant papayas were commercially grown in Hawaii in 1999. Transgenic papayas now cover about one thousand hectares, or three quarters of the total Hawaiian papaya crop. Monsanto, donated technology to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, for developing a papaya resistant to the ringspot virus in India.

Squash - (yellow crookneck) - Some zucchini and yellow crookneck squash are also GM but they are not popular with farmers.

Red-hearted chicory - (radicchio) - Chicory (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum) is popular in some regions as a salad green, especially in France and Belgium. Scientists developed a genetically modified line of chicory containing a gene that makes it male sterile, simply facilitating the production of hybrid cultivars. Today there is no genetically modified chicory on the market.

Cotton seed oil - Cottonseed oil and linters. Products may include blended vegetable oils, fried foods, baked foods, snack foods, edible oil products, and smallgoods casings.

Tobacco -The company Vector has a GMO tobacco being sold under the brand of Quest® cigarettes in the U.S. It is engineered to produce low or no nicotine.

Meat - Meat and dairy products usually come from animals that have eaten GM feed.

Peas - Genetically modified (GM) peas created immune responses in mice, suggesting that they may also create serious allergic reactions in people. The peas had been inserted with a gene from kidney beans, which creates a protein that acts as a pesticide.

Vegetable Oil - Most generic vegetable oils and margarines used in restaurants and in processed foods in North America are made from soy, corn, canola, or cottonseed. Unless these oils specifically say "Non-GMO" or "Organic," it is probably genetically modified.

Sugarbeets - May include any processed foods containing sugar.

Dairy Products - About 22 percent of cows in the U.S. are injected with recombinant (genetically modified) bovine growth hormone (rbGH).

Vitamins - Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is often made from corn, vitamin E is usually made from soy. Vitamins A, B2, B6, and B12 may be derived from GMOs as well as vitamin D and vitamin K may have "carriers" derived from GM corn sources, such as starch, glucose, and maltodextrin.

Read more: http://www.disabled-world.com/fitness/gm-foods.php#ixzz1JHAkfl55