What I read in the book  The Botany of Desire (great book btw)

Is that Monsanto's potatoes which make up most of the fast food french fries consumed are labeled a pesticide by the FDA.  That is right, considered a pesticide.  That the ground used to grow them is deprived of all microbial life and then the sterile fertelizers, etc are added to the dead earth to grow the Monsanto potato. 

Aug 22, 2011 -- 5:42PM, JoliverJOLLY wrote:

Adam Vs the man:- Monsanto,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oza03d4HCK0

Thought you all might like to discuss the seed monopoly Monsanto has and their desire to own all plant life.

and discuss the comming court case.

These schmucks tried to get an anti gardening law passed. Talk about controlling the people!

Aug 22, 2011 -- 7:35PM, Roodog wrote:

Aug 22, 2011 -- 5:42PM, JoliverJOLLY wrote:

Adam Vs the man:- Monsanto,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oza03d4HCK0

Thought you all might like to discuss the seed monopoly Monsanto has and their desire to own all plant life.

and discuss the comming court case.

These schmucks tried to get an anti gardening law passed. Talk about controlling the people!

They are insane, simply for profits and effectily power over food and plant life. They are taking risks that humanity as a whole is going to have to live with. Ultimately they rearly do trials and the trials they do are generally sub standard. Insane we have no idea of what this could lead to, and they just carry on regardless. 

The company is following the rational that if everything is owned then there will no longer be any problems, which is just rediculas, and really not a ratcional at all, as always some will use any excuse to justify stuidity.

Aug 22, 2011 -- 9:28PM, Abner1 wrote:

Erey wrote:

> Here is an article referencing that part of the book about the potato being a pesticide.

Sorry, I must have been unclear.  I have no problem believing the claim that the potato is a pesticide (it clearly is).  The part I was doubtful about was the claim that they sterilize the soil of all microorganisms before planting the potatoes.  I find that part rather unlikely.

Not to defend Monsanto in any way.  Monsanto is clearly far more interested in profits than in the environment or the health of the people who consume their potatoes.  There's a good way to do genetic engineering of foodstuffs, and a bad way, and unfortunately the bad way is far more profitable.

But the sterilizing of soil just doesn't sound likely from what I know of agriculture and genetic engineering ... so I was wondering if you could give me a source on it which didn't require me reading an entire book.  :)

Well I don't know what to say the soil devoid of microbial life is from the book Botany of Desire. 

I found one passage that speaks to that on this site

michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/playi...

You should get the book, I really enjoyed it. 

 It typically begins early in the spring with a soil fumigant; to control nematodes, many potato farmers douse their fields with a chemical toxic enough to kill every trace of microbial life in the soil. Then, at planting, a systemic insecticide (like Thimet) is applied to the soil; this will be absorbed by the young seedlings and, for several weeks, will kill any insect that eats their leaves. After

I really don't claim to know anything about genetic engineering or agriculture, not in the academic sense.