A Passionate Voice

The very day our package of Seminis® biotech sweet corn, provided free from the Monsanto Company, arrived my son was anxious to get in the ground.

Prior to planting, the family had discussed the ideal place to plant the sweet corn. The biotechnology present in this hybrid of sweet corn makes it an ideal candidate to be planted in one of our agriculture fields. The first planting destination was at the farm's headquarters - twelve rows in the field next to the On-Farm Research Corn Plot. [The Corn Plot is Yellow Dent Corn or Field Corn not to be confused with Sweet Corn]. 

As the sweet corn begins to grow, it is in competition with unwanted pests, insects and weeds.  The biotech sweet corn comes complete with built in insect control and herbicide resistances

This sweet corn contains a natural occurring protein, Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt, built into the seed.  Bt Protein allows the plant to create a toxin that is only harmful to a few specific types of insects.   The same insects that can ruin a crop of sweet corn.  Up to now, the only option to control insects was to apply insecticide over the patch of sweet corn many times throughout the growing season.  Sweet corn containing the Bt Protein will reduce the number of applications.

In addition to the Bt Protein, the seed also contains the Roundup Ready trait.  This trait allows us to apply a common weed control, Roundup Ready [A herbicide used on most household lawns to eliminate unwanted weeds.], without harming the sweet corn plant. 

So, in true Midwest Farmer style we hitched up the Tractor and small planter to plant twelve rows in an instant.

After using a shop vacuum to remove any left over seed in the planter boxes, my husband fills the planter with the seed.

The twelve rows are planted in a snap.

In farming, out guessing Mother Nature can be quite the game.  We chose to plant the sweet corn in two different fields with similar soil type but separated by several miles. The second round of planting was placed in another sweet corn patch next to traditional sweet corn. This will allows us to see the biotechnology in action.

After two weeks, the sweet corn has emerged.

Follow along as we test the performance of the Bt sweet corn in real world environment.

Benefits of Bt Sweet Corn

Editor Note:  The Monsanto Company provided a free bag of sweet corn seed for me to share my perspective and experience.  I promise to be frank and honest.  I or my husband does not work for Monsanto.  

Unquestionably, the sweet corn is the Rock Star of the Garden. From the minute the first seed is planted, I can actually taste this juicy nutritional flavorful vegetable.

Perhaps you share my fond memories of sitting on the tailgate removing husks from the sweet corn, picking out the tiny silk strings, and investigating each ear for bugs or worms to be removed.  All the time it takes to place the seed in the ground, nurturing its growth, and hand picking it in peak of ripeness to serve as savory vegetable for my family’s dining pleasure is well worth it.

As family farming in Central Illinois, our fields are filled with cash crops of yellow dent corn [field Corn] and soybeans.  However, we always save room for the sweet corn patch.  Similar to farmers in our area, our sweet corn is planted in a corner of the field side by side to our field corn. 

Since, sweet corn is the cream of our crop not financially but a ‘Bonus Nutritional Crop’ for our dining pleasure all year long, we take great care in raising it.  Our family was exciting at the chance to try for free the new Performance Series™ sweet corn Obsession II Variety provide by the Monsanto Company.  

If you do not partake in the art of growing your own vegetables, you may be asking why our family is stoked about trying a new type of sweet corn.  Obsession II is a biotech sweet corn. 

Yes, I said the BIOTECH word- a term that has been characterized as evil or bad.  However, Biotechnology or genetic engineering, simply put, is the process of inserting a desired gene (naturally occurring) from one species into another species. In agriculture, biotechnology is used to give plants a desirable trait, [Example insect resistance or herbicide tolerance], that often cannot be developed from conventional breeding practices. 

Our farming operation is open to new innovations and welcomes biotechnology. In fact the same technology in this particular sweet corn is already in the field corn that we plant. A sweet corn seed containing a genetic package for insect resistance and herbicide tolerance is quite appealing. A built-in insect control simple means less insectide that I have to apply over the sweet corn patch and less food wasted due to insect damage.  In addition the Roundup Ready trait, allows us to place the sweet corn patch in the field.  We do not have to manually remove the weeds by hand because now we can effectively control weeds [if needed] with the same herbicide application as the field corn in the next row without stressing if we killed the sweet corn.   

As a mom, I am not afraid of serving biotech sweet corn to my family because it is completely safe. The nutritional value of the sweet corn is not hindered by biotechnology. In fact, it produces a higher-quality vegetable that results in less wasted sweet corn.

I will be sharing my family's experience and my personal perspective on the Obsession II sweet corn. I invite you to follow along as we explore the world of sweet corn.

Get the Facts

Best Food Facts

Facts about Sweet Corn

A few packages of seeds have been an inspiration for a family project. Over the past couple of years, we have filled our garden with rows and rows of sweet corn, but this year my son and I are branching out.

My son loves to play in the dirt, and he has the natural gift of a green thumb. So this year, I suggested we add more vegetables to the garden portfolio.

Planting vegetables, whether in the backyard or containers on the windownsill, can be an educational experience for kids and an inexpensive way to show kids how food grows.

In March, we started our tomato and pepper plants.

In about a week, with water, nutrients and sunshine through the window, the seedlings have emerged.

Soon my son and I will plant them in the garden alongside the carrots, radishes and first rows of sweet corn he already planted with his dad.

Meanwhile, we are quite excited that our next garden project will involve a special package delivered by the UPS man. Stay tuned for when we move to the field to plant these seeds.

Common sense has temporarily been restored. It was welcome news for this farm mom when the Department of Labor announced it was withdrawing the proposed rules that would have prevented many young people from working in agriculture.

The department had proposed rules that would have prohibited children younger than 16 years of age from performing a long list of tasks on the farm, including working with animals and operating "power-driven equipment."

As a mother of two active children working on a multigeneration farm, I appreciate the effort to protect the safety of my children. Safety is a daily discussion on our farm. However, creating a list of banned activities-performed by myself and many farmers/ranchers as a kid threatened the future of agriculture. It would have limited my children's learning experience and the family tradition of working alongside family members. 

Perhaps now the Department of Labor and Department of Agriculture can work together with the agriculture community to improve farm safety by utilizing FFA and 4-H programs to enhance farm safety courses for children.

The Department of Labor's decision to withdraw the proposal is the result of the agriculture community working together, explaining our concerns and sharing our story with the government and the general public. However, this result would not have happened if lawmakers like Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) had not made an effort to preserve the rural way of life. For that, the next generation of agriculturalists says "THANK YOU."

The largest applause goes to every individual who wrote a letter, posted a social media statement, expressed the impact in a blog post or spoke to the media, their legislator and the Department of Labor. Together, we made a difference.

Previous Post on Child Labor Proposal

I admit there was a time after the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the UK that news of USDA confirming a positive test of BSE would have sent chills up and down this beef farmer’s spine. I vividly remember the images of millions of cattle in England, Scotland and Wales being slaughtered as a precautionary measure. As a cattlewoman, I am quite connected to my cattle. I could never imagine being put in a situation where I have to destroy my entire herd due to a disease breakout.

While the "what-ifs" can keep this farmer up at night, the fact remains our beef and milk is completely safe because the U.S. has established a national surveillance program -- a program driven by America’s cattlemen urging the federal government to establish a science-based surveillance system to safeguard the nation’s food supply and my herd’s health.

The fourth case of BSE in the U.S. showcased that the interconnected safeguards to prevent BSE are working. While the news of USDA confirming a BSE case sent the beef market swirling downward, the announcement is just part of the educational process. We owe it to ourselves to get the facts before we eliminate nutritional valuable protein source from our diet. It is important as consumers to understand that beef is a safe, nutrient-enriched choice for our families.

Important Facts about BSE

• Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, commonly referred to as "mad cow disease") is a degenerative neurological disease affecting the central nervous system in cattle.
• BSE can only be transmitted through feed containing meat and bone meal from BSE-infected cattle.
• BSE CANNOT be spread from animal to animal or from animals to humans through normal contact.
•  BSE agent is only found in the central nervous system tissue (brain and spinal cord) of an infected cow.  These specified risk materials (brain and spinal cord) are banned from the U.S. Food Supply
• It is NOT found in steaks, roasts, hamburger, or similar cuts of beef.
•  BSE is NOT transmitted through milk.

 Facts about the Beef Communities’ Actions to Protect the Beef Supply

• In 1996, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) called for a voluntary feed ban, which established an industry standard against feeding ruminant-derived meat and bone meal (MBM) protein to cattle. In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made the ban mandatory. The feed ban breaks the cycle of BSE and, with full compliance, assures the disease will be eliminated.
• The beef industry continues to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other food chain partners to further strengthen U.S. food safety systems overall. In fact, the industry invests $350 million annually in beef safety efforts. Beef producers alone have invested more than $30 million since 1993 in beef safety research.

Facts about the USDA’s Safeguards and Surveillance Program

• Specified Risk Materials (parts of the animal that contains the central nervous system tissue-brain and spinal cord) are banned from entering the food supply.
•  USDA also bans all non-ambulatory ("downer" cows) from entering the human food supply.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned ruminant material in cattle feed.
• Since 1990, the U.S. Beef has established a science-based surveillance program.  Animals exhibiting signs of central nervous system disorder, non-ambulatory animals, and other animals showing symptoms consistent with BSE that die on the farm are tested for BSE.
• Approximately 40,000 high-risk cattle are tested annually in the United States. This program is rigorous and exceeds the international recommended testing levels established by the World Organization for Animal Health’s (OIE). In May 2007, the OIE classified the United States as a ‘controlled risk’ country in regards to BSE.

Important Facts about the California Dairy Cow 

•  A non-ambulatory dairy cow in California was tested for BSE at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
• Tests confirmed the animal was positive for atypical BSE, a very rare form of the disease not generally associated with an animal consuming infected feed.
• The animal was held under State Authority at a rendering facility and will be destroyed.
•  It never entered into the United State food supply.
• Milk does NOT transmit BSE.

Consumer Safety Facts about BSE