Monarch butterflies threatened by GM crops in U.S., study says
The evidence points to the U.S. corn belt, where increased cultivation of genetically modified corn and soybean crops comes with a devastating side effect for milkweed.
When GM crops are planted, fields are sprayed with herbicides to wipe out any wild plants that don`t share the crops’ genetically engineered protection. In the past, herbicides would typically be applied early in the growing season, when milkweed seeds are still underground. With GM crops, the spraying happens later, and any milkweed growing adjacent to the crops is hit hard.
Even before GM crops were adopted, milkweed was never overly abundant. Farmers found only “30 or 40 stems per acre,” said Chip Taylor, an insect ecologist at the University of Kansas who was not involved in the study.
Despite the modest number plants, a survey done in 2000 found that “corn and soybean fields were producing more monarchs per acre than anything else,” said Dr. Taylor, who is also the director of Monarch Watch, a conservation and outreach group.
I’m not a scientist and I don’t know anything about butterflies other than they are pretty.
still say it is bogus....sounds like a plan to vilify technology that will keep us fed. another zer0 plan to make us 3rd world material.
Whoa, why do they only herbicide practice this method for GMO crops?
Hmm... Growing up we had that much per 100 square feed in places. I used to love the milkweed plants as a kid. If the density has truly declined THAT much, then GM crops are not the cause. We used to also walk and hand spray beans back then. I think it means we have better herbicides (for now, the weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to RoundUp).
Read this passage and you can see flaws in the argument and conflict of interest.
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Even before GM crops were adopted, milkweed was never overly abundant. Farmers found only “30 or 40 stems per acre,” said Chip Taylor, an insect ecologist at the University of Kansas who was not involved in the study.
Despite the modest number plants, a survey done in 2000 found that “corn and soybean fields were producing more monarchs per acre than anything else,” said Dr. Taylor, who is also the director of Monarch Watch, a conservation and outreach group.
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Bull flap, as another poster wrote, is probably an accurate assessment.
Simple solution. Let the sobbing liberals buy up land and plant milkweed on it.