May 2012 Archive for 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.