Monsanto has closed its east coast GMO seed potato operation. The company is abandoning its Crystal, Maine plant, which opened in 1992. In its place, former employees are launching a new non-genetically modified seed potato company called SeedPro.

The Crystal facility, operated by Monsanto potato subsidiary NatureMark, had been producing GMO potatoes with Bt and RoundUp Ready genes. Quoted by the Bangor Daily News, NatureMark's former seed operation manager Dave Hammond said the GMO potatoes hadn't worked out because farmers "weren't buying it because their customers wouldn't buy it."

Varieties like Newleaf Atlantic and Newleaf Superior were intended for fields from Florida all the way north to Atlantic Canada. The Maine closure will leave Naturemark with just its Boise-based Idaho operation.

Farmers Were Generally Prepared

Nationally, over the past year, farmers heard warnings from companies like Maine's McCain Foods that consumers were not happy with GMO potatoes. But food processor and restaurant worries went very public two weeks ago when the Wall Street Journal reported that french fry king McDonalds and other fast foods outlets have decided to not use GMO potatoes. Buyers including Idaho-based Simplot, the USA's biggest potato processor, then asked farmers not to bring them GMO harvests.

The result will be a major downturn in GMO potato planting, although its too early to quantify. Last year, GMO potatoes accounted for 4% of US production. This year, it may be almost none.

The good news is that most farmers paid attention to warning signs and didn't get caught by the spud meltdown. Almost all bought non-GMO seed potatoes for 2000. According to John Thompson of Potato Growers of Idaho, "the whole story came as no surprise to any grower here." Even though planting in western Idaho began as early as late March, long before the Wall Street Journal story, Thompson says "I'd be surprised if anyone got caught ... it really won't effect our industry."

Therefore the is GMO potatos.

It should be; however, there is no guarantee that GM soy has not cross-pollinated with the organic soy, causing there to be GMO genes in the organic soy.

They are grown all across the USA and Canada and in many other parts of the world. At least 70% of processed foods in the grocery stores in the U.S. have GMO ingredients. Much of the meat in the U.S. has been grown using hormones that are genetically modified. Dairy cows are often given genetically modified hormones in the U.S. Some pharmaceutical drugs are made using genetic modification.

GMO technology was being developed in the 1980s, maybe earlier. FDA approved GMO food crops were planted commercially in the United States in 1996, though GMOs may have been used for pharmaceutical drug purposes before then.

The benefit to the farmer is that Round-up can be sprayed directly on the soybean crop without harming it, saving the farmer time and work.

People who live in a poor village.

Single-cell organisms are linked to genetic transformation, they acquires new genetic material from the environment

[1] A lot of the genetic engineering research behind genetically modified organisms was carried out in the United States. [2] But China was the first country to commercialize production of gmos.

Most soy products are made from GMO soybeans, actually. It's quite hard to find any soybean crops that are not some form of genetically modified organism.

Selective breeding. The process in which two animals which posess the desired qualities are mated to produce offspring which posess these characteristics themselves.

yes in some ways

There are many ethical issues surrounding genetic engineering. We do not know the long term effects of altering genes. Recombinant DNA also gives scientists far greater control over genetic manipulation. There are many ethical issues surrounding genetic engineering. We do not know the long term effects of altering genes. Recombinant DNA also gives scientists far greater control over genetic manipulation.

Non-GMO seed companies include such organic companies as Baker Creek, Peaceful Valley and Seeds Now. Many such companies sign the "Safe Seeds Pledge" that they will not knowingly sell seeds that contain genetically modified organisms.

Persistent Organic Pollutants are chemicals that are insoluble in water, don't biodegrade, and tend to persist in the environment. Pops may be residual residue of other chemicals, used in factory's or as pesticides. The 12 most "notorious" have been banned by the UN.

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are different from non-genetically modified organisms in that GMO have had their genes manipulated and intentionally changed by human action in a laboratory. With GMO we can introduce any particular character by providing gene sequence responsible for that character

GMO's were generally created to prevents pests from coming infesting the plants. Another reason GMO's are created in order to make plants and animals more tougher, and more human friendly than other plants and animals

No one discovered genetically modified organisms. Such organisms are created by people working in laboratories.

In 1953 it was discovered that DNA is the material that carries genes, the information that defines and structures each organism. For the next 50 years people worked to understand DNA and eventually learned how to modify it, in some circumstances. When such a modification is successful, the result is an organism that has been genetically modified - a genetically modified organism.

Genetically modified organisms are modified on a genetic level to benefit humans. How this can pose a threat to a population or ecosystem, is that if the genetically modified organism were to somehow create a mutation, and pass that on, it could be damaging to the future generations in reducing their health or other issues may arise. It can also be damaging to an ecosystem if a genetically modified organism were to escape into a wild population and change it.

Genetic modification involves the insertion or deletion of genes. When genes are inserted, they usually come from a different species, which is a form of horizontal gene transfer. In nature this can occur when exogenous DNA penetrates the cell membrane for any reason. To do this artificially may require attaching the genes to a virus or just physically inserting the extra DNA into the nucleus of the intended host with a very small syringe, or with very small particles fired from a gene gun. However, other methods exploit natural forms of gene transfer, such as the ability of Agrobacterium to transfer genetic material to plants, or the ability of lentiviruses to transfer genes to animal cells.