Soil 305: Confused

Conventional agricultural soils are confused because of the GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) plants and residue that the soil biology is forced to deal with. These new "super plants" have unknown DNA that our soil microbes don't know what to do with, in terms of breaking it down. I think that some of this new DNA is also toxic to soil life as it persists long after is should have been cycled.

I've walked the fields of Genetically Modified crops and I see residue of crops two or three years old. This is highly unusual in the natural state of things, I would expect the residue from the previous years crop should be broken down and cycled by June or July of the following year.

The reason for this, is this new genetic material is foreign to the organisms that are employed to break it down. They don't know what to do with it. It is like spreading plastic around the field that stays around for ever.

I think that some of crops are actually toxic to soil life and maybe you wouldn't be worried by that. Who cares if it just takes a little longer for the crop residue to break down...like several years longer.

Here is the worry, the same biology that exists in the soil are close cousins to the biology that exists in the gut of farm animals and their human benefactors. So the crops that are harvested from these plants can also supress these human biome critters in a major way.

The active ingredient in Round-Up (glyphosate) which is one of the major weed killers used on both conventional corn and soybeans is a systemic herbicide, which means it is absorbed in all parts of the plants. Glyphosate was originally patented as an antibiotic. It is a very potent antibiotic too. So when you eat food and oils from these crops you are supressing the bacteria in your gut. Just like the residue from the crops, your gut can't break down these foods very well. In this case it isn't the genetic modification directly, it is the antibiotic-cide used to kill weeds. Have you noticed food alergies and gut related digestion problems have sky rocketed in the last few years. I'm just saying...

We use only organic corn chips and other corn products. Also, only organic tofu. We use no corn oils, soy oils or other soy products.

So our conventional soils are confused, with good reason.

Organic soils on the other hand are on task and on mission to feed you and build your health.