No GMOs! My County’s Win Against Monsanto

After this week’s election, cheers were heard from all corners of southwest Oregon when the measure against growing genetically modified crops in our county passed by a two to one margin. Now all currently growing GMO crops must be harvested or removed within the next twelve months.

This was the most expensive election in our county’s history and a loss for agribusiness — chemicals companies Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer, and Syngenta spent close to a million out-of-state dollars in attempt to defeat the Anti-GMO measure.

This area has an aware and cautious citizenry, though, and the voter turnout is high.

The concerted effort to free our county of GMO-grown crops, a county with a long agricultural history, began a couple years ago when a field of sugar beets was discovered to be grown from illegal — no FDA approval — genetically modified seed.

The discovery was made by nearby organic farmers. Any contamination of organic fields by wind-blown GMO-tainted pollen strips the organic farmers of their certification for those fields, organic certification being a multi-year process to achieve.

Having GMO-contaminated crops effectively puts those farmers out of business for the lucrative organic market and lessens the supply of organic food available — not to mention lessens the fields which can be then certified organic, period.

Some farmers have been forced to comply with buying and growing GMO/Monsanto/Syngenta/DuPont Pioneer seed to avoid being sued once their land is contaminated, sometimes to the point of foreclosure on their land.

Supporters of the Anti-GMO measure say the only reason it passed was the massive volunteer effort.

Most of these photos are taken from one of last year’s Fourth of July parades in our county (while the vegetable photos are from my own garden).

Activism is a common theme in this town’s parade celebrating our nation’s Freedom Day.

What better time to have your voice heard?

Younger, older, in between — the voices in our county were heard.

It is estimated that over 45% of the world’s seed supply is now owned by these top three chemical companies who seek control of the world’s food supply by commodifying the seed.

The burgeoning organic food market is a threat to the profits of these corporations — as are citizens demanding restrictions on corporate monopoly on seed, not to mention concerns about the long-term safety of GMO seed. Other concerns are about GMO seed promoting pesticide use as seems to be the case — pesticides like RoundUp, owned by Monsanto, are known neurotoxins.

Supporters of growing GMO crops in our county say fear rather than good science ruled the day and the debate over food supply is not over. This is certainly true: the debate is not over.

In 2012, measures to require statewide GMO labeling in Washington state and California were defeated by agribusiness groups.

Anti-GMO groups are determined that measures requiring GMO labeling will be back on state ballots in the future.

Supporters of this measure are just glad that the people spoke louder than corporate interests did,

while organic and other anti-GMO farmers are relieved their crops can be grown without fear of contamination — not to mention possible corporate bullying — in our county now.

There are other declared-GMO-free counties in Hawaii, Washington state, and California.

I, for one, hope more people in more states will do their homework about these companies and their products and ask themselves what kinds of food crops they want growing in their area.

Do any of us really want corporations to control farmers’ seed — our food supply! — for their own corporate interests, their own profits (which are enormous)?

As for Jackson (and Josephine) counties in Oregon,

GMO Free crops will be grown.

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