GMO Finale, Complete with Humane Solution

Do you think activists would accept tub-grown meat? Would you eat tub-grown meat over “home-grown” meat? It would end the corn-fed/grass-fed debate but would it taste remotely similar? Tell me your opinion!

GMO Nitty-Gritty-AKA Clones, Part 7

Down to the final three…

In case you haven’t had your GMO fill yet…

Halfway through our GMO journey

All you ever needed to know continued…

All you ever wanted or need to know about GMOs: Part Two

GMO: For or Against?

This documentary-like show presents both sides of genetic engineering through two narrators. It is not only informative but vastly interesting. I will post a part of the episode each day to keep you on your toes! Comment about what you did or did not know, what you found interesting, if you agree or disagree. Happy watching!

The Root of the Problem

This video is of a childhood favorite. For many, the stars of the video are well-known and obvious. They used to be popular across the rural United States.

However, today it seems farms are becoming more and more niche-oriented and less diversified. Only one of these farm friends were ever on my farm and then, only for a 4-H project not as a commodity. You don’t see this type of farm anymore, the type of farm my Dad grew up around:

Regardless of farm animals’ prevalence, or lack thereof, the prevalence of child that do not know a chicken from a duck or a pig from a cow is alarming. We talk about educating adults about corn syrup and genetically engineered organisms but we fail to start at the root of the problem-the children that grow up to be the ag-illiterate.

This problem is not relegated to Farm Bureau and check-off organizations. It is every agriculturalist’s responsibility to educate everyone, of all generations, wherever they go. Strike up a conversation at Toys R Us or the grocery store. Bring your animal to an elementary school classroom. Your conversation could make all the difference.

Silk, Farmers’ New Best Friend?

We all know how the weather can affect our mood. By the time Februrary comes around I usually feel as dreary as the skies. However, in a few months sunshine kisses my arms and I feel content and happy.

The same goes for textures-and I don’t just mean scraping your knee on asphalt. Think of how silk feels against your skin.

Well, this a topic that has caught the attention of researchers. The things we touch affect our decisions, they found. Smoothness is associated with ease and roughness is associated with difficulty. How did they reach this conclusion? People who completed a puzzle with sandpaper pieces described an interaction between two other people as more difficult and awkward than those who completed the exercise with smooth pieces.

What can agriculturalists learn from this? Farmers, break out the silk boxers when it comes to buying seed or going to an auction.

J. Ackerman, C. Nocera, and J. Bargh (2010) Incidental haptic sensations influence social judgments and decisions. Science, 328, 1712- 1715.