The following letter to the Editor, printed in the Wall Street Journal, is in support of Global Farmer Network member Terry Wanzek’s opinion piece which was printed in the Wall Street Journal on June 11, 2022.
“Today more than 90% of many crops in the U.S. are genetically modified seed. Genetically enhanced crops are safe. We should not allow false claims to determine food policy.” –Ronald F. Eustice
June 23, 2022 12:59 pm ET
Regarding Terry Wanzek’s “A Solution to the Wheat Shortage: Genetically Modified Crops†(Cross Country, June 11).
My grandfather was crushed to death in a farm accident in Minnesota during harvest on Oct. 12, 1956, his 64th birthday. A few days later some 25 neighbors arrived to pick the corn. The local paper covered the event and reported a “remarkable†yield of 60 bushels an acre. Last fall his grandson, who now owns the farm, harvested 270 bushels an acre on the same field where the accident occurred. The enormous yield was due to a number of factors, including the use of genetically modified seed.
Recently, a major seed grower applied for a permit to build a seed propagation facility near my home in Tucson, Ariz.. This facility planned to produce conventional, organic and genetically modified seed. Anti-GMO activists got wind of the plans and demanded a halt to the project. Hearings were held and I attended to speak in support of the project.
When my turn to speak arrived, I told the story about my grandfather’s yield and how today the yield on the same field increased more than 400%. The boos from the activists were deafening; I politely asked them to allow me to speak. My voice was heard, but the activists prevailed and the facility wasn’t built.
Today more than 90% of many crops in the U.S. are genetically modified seed. Genetically enhanced crops are safe. We should not allow false claims to determine food policy.
Ronald F. Eustice
Tucson, Ariz.