This is in response to Bill Grahn’s letter to the editor in The Morning Star Oct. 4.
Bill says that the farmers should be heard. Well, I’m a farmer and I believe in growing my food without pesticides or GMO seeds.
This is what I believe is the best for my environment, the bees, the soil and for the people who will eat the food.
When wind-pollinated GMO crops are planted near organic crops, they contaminate our crop, and in this way, cause loss of income for us organic farmers.
We grow organic because our customers want organic and non-GMO food.
Should we not be able to guarantee this to them we will lose our business.
So when Bill says, “Farmers should be heard,” I hope he also considers us organic vegetable growers.
I agree with Bill that most farmers are not big corporations, but families that try to make a living from farming.
This is not always an easy life and it is certainly not made any easier when the soil you are trying to show to be free of toxins get polluted by pesticides used on other farms nearby or when their crops cross pollinate with yours.
I would like to see clear labelling when GMO is in a product in order to give people a real option to choose what they want to ingest.
Perhaps if more people chose organic, it would be more viable for bigger farms to grow organic as well without losing profit.
Mikaela Cannon
Organic farmer
and beekeeper
