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IPFS News Link • Food

The Free Market is Solving the GMO Problem

• http://www.thedailybell.com

When Justin Dammann enters his southwestern Iowa cornfield this month, the 35-year-old farmer will sow something these 2,400 acres have not seen in more than a decade — plants grown without genetically modified seeds.

The corn, which will head to a processor 20 miles down the road this fall, will likely make its way into tortilla shells, corn chips and other consumable products made by companies taking advantage of growing consumer demand for food without biotech ingredients.

For Dammann and other Midwest farmers, the burgeoning interest in non-GMO foods has increased how much they get paid to grow crops in fields once populated exclusively with genetically modified corns and soybeans. The revenue hike is a welcome benefit at a time when lower commodity prices are pushing farm income down to what's expected to be the lowest level in six years.

"We never really thought we would go back to (non-GMO). But the consumer, in my opinion, has sent a clear message that a certain percentage of our customers are willing to pay more for the non-GMO lines," Dammann said. "This non-GMO thing has seemed to take hold and gain a lot of traction." – Des Moines Register, April 18, 2015

This story is a marvelous example of consumer preferences encouraging producers to change their behavior, without any government intervention. Markets work – when we let them.

Monsanto and the other genetically modified seed companies insist their products are safe. A substantial number of consumers have their doubts. The number is large enough to have enticed GMO-free food companies to step up their offerings. Alternatives are often more expensive than the GMO versions, but they're available.

Consumers in some states have tried to force labeling requirements on GMO products. As we wrote a few weeks ago, the effort is facing fierce industry and political resistance. If the trends in this article continue, it won't matter. Consumers will eventually get what they want.


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