Dryland Farming – Palouse Hills
by Catherine Haug, June 13, 2015; updated Nov 2018 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
The most common GMO crops are Roundup-Ready corn and soy. They can be sprayed with multiple heavy doses of the herbicide, and not die, while the weeds growing alongside them die immediately. When the crops are harvested, the glyphosate stays with the harvest and enters the human food chain through our modern processed foods. Our health suffers – especially our gut microbiome – and we wonder why.
Non-GMO grain crops are sprayed with glyphosate just before harvest as a desiccant (dead crops dry out faster than live ones). The consequence of this is evident in a recent EWG (Environmental Working Group) study that showed high levels of glyphosate in breakfast cereals such as Cheerios and Quaker Oats products (7).
It is getting impossible to avoid glyphosate (Roundup) and other toxic sprays used on crops.
I have long been opposed to GMOs, and the use of herbicide/pesticide sprays used on such crops. I’m an advocate of mandatory testing of foods for herbicide/pesticide residue, and mandatory labeling of GMOs. I’m constantly astonished at the number of people who believe the hype that GMOs are safe and are necessary to stop world hunger – even some people who operate restaurants in our area.
The EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) recently announced US regulators (USDA) may soon start testing for glyphosate residues in food, due to rising consumer concerns about the health impact of this chemical. (1) Will the results be included on food labels?
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