Non-GMO

An Un-Natural Disaster

In layman’s terms, GMO, or Genetically Modified Organism, is a nice way of saying a plant that comes from a seed that has been injected with bacteria or pesticides to help it stay alive when the land it grows in is doused with chemicals.

Chemical companies have invested billions of dollars into developing these genetically modified seeds and in fighting to keep them secret from agencies that aim to protect us. Farmers who choose to use GMO seeds must sign a contract saying that they will use these seeds, and only these seeds, year after year.

What the chemical company then does is raise the prices of the seeds every year. This puts more economic strain on not only the farmer, but also the taxpayer, as the government, in turn, has to increase the subsidies. The end result is ever-rising food prices and our homes filled with products that come from unregulated genetic modification—the long-term effects of which have yet to be seen. At Garden of Life, we support only farms that use Non-GMO Project Verified seeds in an effort to bring this cycle to an end.

An Un-Earthly Endeavor

All of us learned at a very young age that all plants grow out of the soil. And the primary purpose of GMO seeds is to grow in soil that has been supremely depleted over years of chemical use. In other words, these mutant seeds just grow. They grow and look just like plants we have seen all of our lives. The farmers that grow them take pride in producing such a bounty that will be sent to market. But the “market” they go to is primarily feeding a bad system—it’s turned into feed to fatten up our livestock, and it’s milled and made into bread, crackers and high-fructose corn syrup that fattens up our people.

A New Road to Hoe

Beneath the boasting farmer, proud of his neat rows of weed-free produce, you’ll find the truth that they long for the days when harvest wasn’t done from the air-conditioned cab of a half-a-million dollar tractor, but with a gathering of neighbors and a celebration of true wealth.

They reminisce about an era when they were not hostage to chemical companies and barred from saving seeds—the most basic of farm tasks. They miss a time when land was manageable and honest profit was possible. They long for friends, family and the essence of farm life.

The farmers, who makes the decision to chart a course away from GMO and chemicals are bucking the system, facing ridicule and giving up all of the government subsidies. They are deciding to figure out what to do with the costly behemoth tractor, and how to start the slow process of bringing the dead soil back to life. It can be done! Nature has shown her resilience over the ages. The most barren and toxic landscapes can come back and thrive once more. Garden of Life is proud to support farms that make this decision. Learn more