Question
Enjoy reading your answers, very helpful.  Corn gluten sounds like a great idea.  I do however, have one concern.  A large per cent of corn is genetically modified with pesticide in every cell and herbicide tolerant which means it is heavily sprayed with herbicide.  Do you think this will be a problem with organic gardeners?  At least one company sells organic corn gluten meal.  Are there any others?  Thanks for any info.

Answer
I hate to say it, but I most definitely do believe the 'Genetically Modified Seeds' work of the patent-holding few are contaminating everything as we speak.  According to Monsanto's own statistics, herbicide tolerant crops in 2006 were planted in the U.S. alone on farmland which measures larger than the State of California.

Monsanto is incredibly powerful.  I almost feel like giving up even the speech on this matter.  It will be a problem for all organic gardeners -- and it is already a problem in other crops all over the globe.  Scientists everywhere speak against Monsanto.  But they hold so much of the control, no one understands, few are aware, and there is simply nothing we can do about it.  Monsanto flexes its muscles every time it sues a farmer who saved the Seeds of his G.M. crop.  The International Service for Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications stands behind Monsanto.

See the essay, 'Who Benefits from GM Crops?' at the Center for Food Safety website:

www.multinationalmonitor.org/editorsblog/index.php?/archives/74-Heads-Monsanto-Wins,-Tails-We-Lose;-The-Genetically-Modified-Food-Gamble.html#extended

As for your Organic Corn Gluten Meal, any company that says its CGM is organic is tops for me.  I just hope they're right.  How long they are able to make that claim -- well, it is not looking good.

The G.M. Seed universe basically boils down to a mere FOUR crops:  Corn, Soy, Canola and Cotton.  Rice was added a little over a year ago, and others are coming down.  The vast majority hold built-in resistance to only 2 engineered traits:  Glyphosate (Monsanto's Roundup-ready genes) and for some, built-in 'Bt', a natural pesticide.

What's all this supposed to accomplish?

Mosanto predicts that this is somehow going to feed people who are starving.

How that would happen is the question.  Because the way things are going, it won't.  Farmers in developing nations mostly grow only Soy.  And they EXPORT all the Soy.  Their biggest customers are industrialized countries, where it is ordered as food for livestock.  Innocent, hungry people never see a bowl or bag of it.

Pro-GM spokesmen say that the other biotech Seed trait, 'Bt', supports farmers in India and China who can now use minimal amounts of pesticides.  It saves them money and protects the environment, they argue.  After all, with a built-in pesticide, why would you need to spray pesticides?

Nevertheless, it doesn't work that way -- which is why I am absolutely certain your statement that the G.M. corn is 'heavily sprayed with herbicide' is true.  Bt does not work on ALL insect pests -- just on a handful.  Farmers MUST continue to use pesticides - which are not cheap.  It's the only way they know of to protect their crops from other insects.

Many scientists are troubled by the potential of Bt-resistant insects.  It's a very real threat.  As I think you know.

I don't have the data in any of my own files, but I do monitor the work of several organizations active on this.  Third World Netowrk issues daily Biosafety Info reports:

www.twnside.org.sg

It also runs the Biosafety Information Centre:

www.biosafety-info.net

Thank you very much for your question.  I am keenly interested in any comments you have on this issue.

L.I.G.