I assume it is safe to say you’re sitting down and likely familiar with what ‘Farmer Ryan’s Rants’ are all about. Well, this one should be true to character, but as it has been brewing for well over a week now you’ll have to excuse me if it has more buzz than usual. That said, this diatribe is not intended to be an attack on any one in particular, especially not your average conventional farmer – the good natured folk that have been growing our food for generations and who are largely well-meaning. Problem is that this group, like all too many us, have not thought critically enough about the pesticide paradigm that our food system and environmental health has fallen pray too. Furthermore, the conventional farmers that I have had contact with continue to laugh in when I inquire about ‘change’ – citing the fact that they are either too old to change or just plain disinterested in looking at the issue through a new lens.
I personally am not aware of any significant public debate that has taken place now that it appears we are moving full-speed ahead into the GMO era and those that read the frighteningly pro-GMO article in this weekend’s Globe & Mail business section may have come away from it as I did – steaming mad that agribusiness seems content to manipulate nature for monetary gains and disregard negative environmental externalities. In fact, I was so steamed about this over the weekend that Laura has suggested I should no longer be alowed to read the paper. Oh well…

First of all, let's evaluate some of the most frightening statements from this scary bit of business journalism, whose GMO optimism flies in the face of other news stories from the same paper (See Globe Focus, June 14, 2008, pg. F8 – An Amphibious Assault) among other evidence:
"If we're going to have another agricultural revolution, it will need herbicides, pesticides and improved seeds," says Peter Hazell, an agricultural development economist and a former economist with both the World Bank and the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Gotta love this narrow mindset, eh? Of course, we’ve come to expect this from the Bretton Woods Institutions and the like. The first agricultural revolution was, of course, that which began in the 1940’s when wartime chemical/industrial companies spun off agricultural divisions and began apply the ‘increased yields is all that matters’ logic. In return we now have a culture of cheap food in North America along with a host of other social, health and environmental problems.

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought a revolution was something that was lead by the people for the people, not something that was imposed upon us by multi-billion dollar corporations and their government lackies – I believe the word for that is globalization. Of course, without more people involved in growing their own food and reconnecting with the land, the pesticide laden GMO foods are likely to continue to infest our food system and wreak havoc on our environment.

The rise of GMO farming is already quite staggering:
“Last year, 91 per cent of U.S. soybeans and 73 per cent of corn was GM, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, a non-profit group that promotes the use of biotech seeds in developing countries, says 12 million farmers in 23 countries grew 114 million hectares of GM crops in 2007 - the equivalent of 220 Delawares. Canada had seven million GM hectares, mostly canola, corn and soybeans.”

The worst, however, is probably yet to come. Dolly the Sheep and growth hormone supported dairy aside, the Monsanto’s of the world are developing a full range of GMO vegetables as well and they’ve already found their way onto the market in the US (sugar beets, papaya, tomatoes, etc.). Lobbying is intense to get Canada on board as well, with both U.S. farm groups and government lobbyist pressing for Canada to adopt them and make the pro-U.S. stance on GMO appear more legitimate. ‘Developing’ countries are of course being given even less say in the mater with food-short and debt laden governments throughout Asia, Latin America and Africa grasping at anything to distance themselves from starvation.

And although it sometimes feels like it, apparently I am not the only one concerned about GMOs as even the Globe was unable to entirely mask the other side of the story:

"Like many others, I do not think the potential long-term effects of GM crops has been adequately tested," Rosemary Stanton, an Australian nutritionist, wrote in the May issue of Australian Doctor. "The GM genie is not something that can be put back in the bottle if future research uncovers problems."

“Bill Freese, a science policy analyst for the Center for Food Safety in Washington, is concerned about the alacrity in which GM foods have been approved, in spite of the lack of long-term research on the foods' potential risks, or lack thereof, on human and animal health, plant life and the environment.”

Even Prince Charles, long standing organic advocate, was able to get his two cents in as the article quotes him ten years ago of accusing genetic engineers of taking us into "realms that belong to God and God alone."

In fact, the more I learn about Charlie, the more I like him. As many of you may know his ‘Dutchy’ brand of organic foods is not-for profit and is supporting the growth in both the supply and demand for organic foods in a number of countries. Furthermore, the Prince has been and outspoken advocate for small-scale organic farming, knowing full well as I do that aside from wild-harvesting, there is no other way to produce food in a truly sustainable, social just and environmentally beneficial manner.

I could obviously go on and on berating the agribusiness industry and the fact that our own government is not doing enough to protect us, let alone study the long-term cumulative impacts of large scale, genetically modified, chemical dependent agriculture. The fact is it doesn’t surprise me because our nation, whether we want to admit it or not, is a culture based on taking profits from extracting the vast resource of our naturally abundant land mass in a manner that our First Nations have always considered blasphemous. Hey, people gotta make a living, right?

Up until now I might have had some sympathy, to a degree. But now that Laura and I are on the cusp of bringing another generation into the world (decode this and you’ll discover our family’s big news!), I am even more adamant than ever that more people need to become more fully aware of the dangers of conventional agriculture around the world, starting right here in our own community. And the mountain of evidence that suggests we are already in the midst of serious health and environmental catastrophes continues to build.

New research reported last week by the Rodale Institute could come as a shock to many and may scare more than a few, considering that we live in an intense agriculture region where chemical sprays are routinely released and are finding their way into our water, air and food supply. The full report can be found at www.rodaleinstitute.org, but in summary, lead author Dr. Warren Porter professor of zoology and environmental toxicology at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, in this cross-disciplinary 10 year study looked at the effects common pesticides (used in conventional orchards, cash cropping and vegetable production) have on the health and well-being of our communities. According to Porter, “normal” exposures in food, water and air at levels considered “safe” by current regulatory bodies the U.S. may be creating many of the serious long-term health problems emerging in humans and wildlife.

“National and international research projects show that pesticides contribute to an increase in aggressive behaviour, birth defects, developmental roadblocks, failing immune function and sexual disorders. And evidence is just surfacing that our fundamental genetic constitution could be in jeopardy.”

While I could go on to report more of the chilling details, needless to say they scared the crap out of me (dad to be) because reportedly the most vulnerable cohort to even (and especially low-levels of exposure – again, read the full article to undertand the science) are children. Ecologically, amphibians, which form a vital link in the web of life, are equally in jeopardy because of their thin, moist skin that has the ability to quickly absorb environmental toxins (again check out the June 14th article in the Globe Focus section that suggests if amphibian numbers continue to decline, insect populations will explode and mammal populations will plummet – sounds great eh?!).

Let’s also consider for a second the costs to our health and education systems for a second if rates of disease and developmental disorders continue to rise (not to mention the aforementioned amphibian issue) For starters, big $$$. Anyone else heard rumours of higher than average cancer levels in our area? My wife certainly thinks she saw more developmental disorders during here year at Meaford Community School than she has in any school previously. So right away we are looking at increased health and education costs, not to mention costs associated with trying to reverse the problem if that were even possible.

So call me an alarmist if you must, but these are the realities that sooner or later we’ll all need to come to terms with and I suggest we do so before it’s too late. When you think about it, the costs of doing nothing will be far greater than taking action now from health, environment and educational perspectives...heck, even from a property value, tourism and economy point of view we could take a big hit if our region is found to be unsafe for us to live in (we’ve got to get property owners attention somehow!).

Fortunately, change is happening, but is it happening fast enough in our area? Europe is of course well ahead of the game with a Union wide ban on GMOs, entire bioregions declaring themselves organic only and rates of organic acreage pushing 30-40% in some countries. Here at home consumer consciousness is certainly on the rise with consumption of organic goods increasing in most centres and farmer’s markets exploding across the country. Yet still, organic farms still make up far less than 5% of the total and the current biofuels boom is pushing more and more land into GMO corn, soy and canola. High grain prices and not encouraging farmers to bring more diversity onto their farms and in fact more marginal lands that should be left to naturalize and reforest are being brought under the plough. We are clearly not heading in the right direction.

So what can you do, how can we make a difference?

Personally I have little faith that environmental health will ever reach the top of the political agenda (that is, unless the Green Party is in power...) with more people concerned about how much their gas is going to cost them to get to the cottage or how many manufacturing jobs have been lost. That said, I have always been a believer that meaningful change can happen on the ground at the local level, which is why I got into farming in the first place. However, one farmer will not win a war and if we care about the health of our community, our children and the ecological systems that support our life than action needs to be taken.

My suggestion, do as I have done and contact your local councilor and suggest to them that this will be a local election issue in the near future. Encourage them to bring the issue to the attention of council and perhaps even a cross-disciplinary committee could be struck to study the issue. We then need funding to complete baseline environmental toxicology studies and money to support farmers progressive enough to begin making the transition to organic methods. A marketing strategy may follow to bill our region as being at the forefront of the organic revolution and pretty soon we might actually be able to back up our claim that the Georgian Triangle is a safe place to live, work and play.

We have so much to gain if we work together to get this right; everything to lose if we continue to get it wrong. Let’s make it happen!

Pursuing a pesticide free future -

Farmer Ryan

Ryan Hayhurst
ryan@NEOrganics.ca
Niagara Escarpment Organics