Illinois farmer turns GMO controversy is “teaching opportunity”

Larry Bucher typically harvests the same crop of questions from strangers, acquaintances and dinner party guests.

Once they learn he is a farmer, they begin planting their seeds of curiosity, which often grow into suspicion about the same hot-button topic. Their conversation goes something like this: “What crops do you grow?” followed by “Are any of those crops genetically modified?”

That’s usually when the trouble begins and when Bucher educates people one by one about hybrids, organics and genetically modified crops, or GMOs, short for genetically modified organism, whose material has been altered by genetic engineering.

“More often than not, people are unaware of the differences between hybrids, genetically modified and organics,” Bucher said. “I have learned the hard way that the first thing I need to do is establish common ground on just what genetically modified means to the questioner.”

Read the full, original article: Jerry Davich: Farmer plants seeds for GMOs education

 

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