Truth Farmer

So here in the home state of Monsatan, the General Assembly is running a resolution to encourage the US Congress to instruct the USDA to approve 24D crops quickly. These are crops that are genetically modified to be resistant to one of the most important ingredients in Agent Orange. The supposed need for this approval is that weeds are becoming resistant to glyphosate (Round  Up) and we definitely ought to get more toxins in our food supply and start growing other herbicide resistant genetically modified poisons for general consumption.

If you’re not in Missouri, please check your own State for such things. Round Up Ready alfalfa was approved after a similar push by 75 US Congress members wrote a letter to the USDA about how important it was for farmers to be able to grow toxic crops.

For Missouri, you can go to http://www.moga.mo.gov to find your representative. Please call and encourage your rep to go against this resolution.

Here is the language of the resolution:

HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

House Concurrent Resolution No. 20

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

5632H.02C

WHEREAS, the total economic impact of agricultural sectors in Missouri is over $31.4 billion annually and contributes to our nation’s robust agricultural tradition; and

WHEREAS, Missouri’s production of corn, cotton, and soybeans alone is valued at more than $3.7 billion per year, with nearly 80 percent of corn and cotton and 50 percent of soybeans exported annually; and

WHEREAS, these yields are threatened due to no less than six weed species having developed glyphosate resistance throughout important agricultural counties in the state; and

WHEREAS, without access to new modes of action, farmers soon will be forced to revert to outdated, costly, and environmentally unsustainable farming practices to manage weeds such as tillage and weeding by hand; and

WHEREAS, crops tolerant to 2,4-D and dicamba represent new technologies that will inhibit herbicide-resistant weeds from reducing crop yields in Missouri and allow farmers to employ ecological and economical farming practices; and

WHEREAS, these new seed technologies have been under review by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for three to four years or more; and

WHEREAS, these delays by federal regulatory agencies put Missouri farmers at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace as Canada and Brazil have already approved some of these crops; and

WHEREAS, American farmers also must have access to these same tools to provide a livelihood to their families and ensure that Missouri remains a top agricultural producing state:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-seventh General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby request the United States Congress to urge the USDA and EPA to quickly approve 2,4-D and dicamba tolerant crops to allow Missouri farmers fair access to needed advancements in agriculture; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives and each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation.