Monsanto, the company that produces the weed killer Roundup, was just delivered another crippling defeat in their third court loss. The cost of this loss- a staggering 2 billion dollars. Yes, billion with a “b”.
While corporate lawyers will appeal this decision and it’ll likely be held up in appeals, motions, and other legal nonsense for years to come, this decision reinforces what a growing number of people have stated for years- Roundup causes cancer.
This fact is important because it directly relates to many of the products you eat on a regular basis. While proponents of GMO crops will tout the benefits of drought-resistant rice and modified crops that will help to support developing nations, the overwhelmingly GMO crops have a dramatically different use. GMO crops are used because they have been modified to allow staples like corn, wheat, and soy to be sprayed with a herbicide like Roundup without dying.
The logic is simple, even if it’s flawed. Use a special seed that allows you to kill weeds easier and cut down on labor costs associated with weeding thousands of acres at a time. Spraying the entire field rather than targeting specific weeds makes the process go faster, again cutting labor costs.
The problem is that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and other herbicides, is a systemic product. It is sprayed to the leaves of the plant and then absorbed throughout the entire plant. That’s not a terrible thing if the target plant is a weed on your driveway but when it’s a giant wheat plant, it’s an entirely different story. The plant absorbs the chemical and it spreads throughout the entire organism, including the parts that humans and animals will eat. The issue is compounded since farmers will apply multiple rounds of herbicide to their crops during a single season.
By using GMO crops and spraying the entire field with a herbicide, these farmers are literally spraying your food with poison. Multiple times.
To mitigate this, we opt out of the system… Our animals are raised on chemical-free pasture, but they can’t get all their nutrition from grass and bugs alone. Our grain-based feed is GMO free and sourced from a trusted source. We believe that you should never have to worry about the quality of your food. You should never be concerned that you’re feeding your family poison or giving them something that will cause cancer. We believe in doing things differently, doing them Our Way.