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The GMO debate has yet to catch the attention of many Americans, but on the West Coast, it’s intense. California, Oregon and Washington all have narrowly defeated initiatives that would require the labeling of GMO foods, but in one Oregon county, the debate has taken a different turn – and GMO opponents are winning.
Jackson County voters last year approved a ban on the growing of genetically modified crops, and in May of this year, a federal judge upheld the law, saying it rightly protected organic farmers from cross-pollination.
The initiative could become a model for other counties and states around the nation, and on this week’s edition of Off The Grid Radio we speak with Elise Higley, the director of the Our Family Farms Coalition that defeated Monsanto at the ballot. She’s also an organic farmer.
Without such laws, Higley says, some forms of organic farming soon could become extinct. She also tells us:
• How GMO pollen can ruin an organic field – and how that could lead to Monsanto suing the innocent organic farmer.
• Which specific GMO crops post the most danger to organic fields.
• How her side won at the ballot, despite being outspent by Monsanto and its allies 3-to-1.
• What likely will happen next following the federal judge’s ruling – and what will become of the GMO crops
Elise’s David-vs.-Goliath fight is one that anyone who supports independent and small farms should follow. Listen as Elise explains how a rural Oregon county beat Monsanto – and why she believes the victory can be duplicated elsewhere.
