Over the space of two nights this
month, the sugar beet crop in two fields in Jackson County, Oregon, was
destroyed. Someone, or a number of somebodies, chose to destroy a valuable
crop, likely because it consisted of beets that had been genetically engineered
to be resistant to Roundup, a herbicide.
It would be nice to see the
criminals who did this caught, and according to reports by the Oregonian, the
FBI is taking the case seriously. They have deemed the case
"economic sabotage and a violation of federal law involving damage to
commercial agricultural enterprises," according to the report of reporter
Kimberly A.C. Wilson of the Oregonian, the only major media outlet so far to
report on the issue from what I can tell.
Farmers do their best to manage
weather risk (they can and do lose part or all of their crops due to weather),
volatile markets (prices often drop when the crop does well), government
regulations (which get more onerous each year), and common problems like theft
but the wanton destruction of a year’s crop by criminal activity can’t be
planned or managed.
Grange members stand united against
what amounts to terrorism against our American farmers. No matter what crops
our farmers choose to raise, no matter what animals our farmers choose to
nurture, if it is legal American farmers deserve to be able to supply their
fellow citizens with that product. It doesn’t matter if you are an animal
rights or anti-GMO (genetically modified organisms) believer, actions such as
these are unacceptable and criminal.
I have a hunch that those who
committed this crime are operating on emotion. I’ve heard a lot of argument
against the use of GMOs over the last couple of years. While I believe that
everyone has a right to their own opinion, when someone claims that GMOs will
cause the death of the human species, any middle or common ground is hard to
find, and facts to support that argument are hard to find. Every
peer-reviewed scientific study I have seen or heard of shows that no difference
can be seen between the end product of a natural seed, a naturally modified
seed, or an engineered seed.
The National Grange has debated the
issue of GMOs for a number of years and from those debates we have created our
current policy. We support the use of GMO seed and want studies on their safety
to continue. It is a pragmatic viewpoint and yet one that is based upon the
available facts and science. I am sure that it will continue to be discussed
and debated in our organization and by the public for many years to come. As
new studies are conducted, their results will be included in the policy
development process of the Grange.
It is good to have passion, but if
we allow that passion to overshadow logic and facts we will see more crimes
such as this one in Jackson County. It is our duty to engage in discussion and
debate the issues of the day. Through this process we only stand to learn from
each other.
The Grange stands in support of the
American farmer, especially those who are the victims of terrorist acts like
this one because of the crop they’ve chosen to plant. Every American should
join us in condemning criminal acts like the one reported.
