What are the advantages of genetically engineered crops?

Genetically Engineered Crops

One advantage is the ability to "grow" pest killers right in the crop ( ie...corn,beans and other grains)itself. Very cost effective and eliminates the need for many pesticides.

• As much as that is an advantage while they grow, it is a definite DISadvantage to those of us who are unknowingly eating those foods because the FDA will not require that GMO foods be labeled. For decades, we have been taught to thoroughly wash our fruits and vegetables to get all the pesticides off. Now, we are eating foods that are genetically designed to have their own pesticide built right in. Very interesting.

Did you learn that at your yoga class? The pesticide isn't built in to the plant. The plant is just less attractive to the certain pests. GECs are also bred to be less susceptible to diseases, such as rust. The main result of GECs are higher yields, and a more hearty plant. They are just as safe (actually safer, due to certain disease resitances) than 'organic' foods. It's selective breeding, but for plants.  

More Information

Perhaps it might help to clarify this issue if I let everyone know that the most common pesticide which the crop "produces" is a simple protein which is completely harmless to mammalian life, yet is unable to be digested by certain members of the Lepidoptera insect family, thereby eliminating them. Scientists learned to mimic this from the common soil bacterium bacillus thuringiensis. Since a "pesticide" is defined as any substance which helps to kill, suppress, or otherwise control any form of life harmful to man or his food supply, this protein qualifies as a pesticide, even though it is vastly different from the chemical poison pesticides which we have always been instructed to wash from our food. I've always considered it best to "compare apples to apples", but this situation is clearly "apples to oranges", or to be more precise, "apples to bassett hounds".

Other genetic traits sometimes built into the crop include the ability for the crop plant to resist the effects of certain herbicides such as glyphosate or glufosinate.