John Block Reports from Washington

Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.

And now for today’s commentary—

How will we ever be able to increase food production to feed the growing world population if we don’t employ new production technology? The answer is – we can’t. Fortunately for all of us and the world, we are not sitting on our hands.

Let me ask this question – did you eat some delicious sweet corn in the last few days? I did. Growing it is not easy. The labor in the field and tillage costs are substantial. Sweet corn makes up less than 1% of the corn acres in the U.S. Yet, sweet corn accounts for 40 percent of the insecticide used in corn production. That’s the case because sweet corn has not been genetically modified. Corn grown for livestock feed in the U.S. is genetically modified and toxic to root worms and corn bore. 91 percent of our soy bean crop is genetically modified.

Now – thanks to Monsanto – we will have GE sweet corn. That means the weeds can be controlled, the pests turned back, less energy tilling the field.

Of course, it’s to be expected – the critics of GE crops come screaming from the roof tops. “Oh no, there might be some risk.” That sweet corn might harm people’s health.” Nonsense – the International Food Information council says, “the campaign against genetically modified foods is groundless.” The Food and Drug Administration fully approves. We have eaten our weight in GE foods in the last 10 years. 70 percent of American processed foods contain GE ingredients. There have never been any documented food safety problems with food produced using biotechnology anywhere in the world.

To the critics of GE foods, I say – “get over it. You are wrong and it’s time you admitted it.” Even the stubborn Europeans are starting to come around – slowly.

In closing, I would encourage you to access my website which archives my radio commentaries dating back 10 years and will go back 20 years when complete. Check on what I said back then. Go to www.johnblockreports.com.

Until next week, I am John Block in Washington.