ISSUES IN MODERN AGRICULTURE

Elizabeth Hirzel
AEC 302
September 27, 2016

Todays agriculturalists are arguably facing more adversity than ever before. While
improved technology is making production more efficient for modern farmers, it comes with
negative externalities. Perhaps the most highly debated topic in modern agriculture is genetically
modified organisms. While these plants have been on the market and utilized in the United States
for over twenty years, the concern for labeling food products with the use of GMOs has recently
become a debate. On one hand, consumers are arguing for increased transparency in order to
make educated decisions about what they are buying and eating. On the contrary, producers and
processing facilities view this argument as only another regulation they must comply with,
making their job harder once again.
A genetically modified organism is created by splicing the DNA of one organism into
that of an entirely different species (Glasgow, 2015). These plants are integrated in todays food
system quite regularly, and are perhaps incorporated in the average Americans diet more often
than not. Although determined safe by the United States Department of Agriculture, some
consumers feel there has not been sufficient research done on these crops in order to determine
them safe for consumption (Schubert, 2016). They do not feel comfortable with the amount of
unknowns, specifically the long term effects genetically modified organisms can potentially
cause. Due to these concerns, many consumers are pushing for labeling laws so they are able to
consciously choose whether or not to eat a GMO.
It is fair that consumers get to see where their food is coming from and how their food
was made, but requiring new labeling is not as simple as it sounds. According to a study
conducted at Cornell University, requiring GMO labeling will cost the average American an
extra $500 per year (Hart, 2014). Not to mention, new regulation will cause a huge burden on

producers and only increase the amount of government control in our everyday lives. Is it really
worth the cost?
Eventually, I believe the government will comply with consumer wishes and create a new
regulation requiring all foods to be labeled GMO or GMO-free. In my humble opinion, this
law is not a matter of if, but rather of when. While it is acceptable for increased
transparency, consumers better be prepared for higher prices on their food. It is not easy nor
cheap to have more regulation. The cost of such will fall back onto the producers and processors,
which will cost an extensive amount of money to complete the necessary paperwork and
inspection. It creates a larger hassle for food companies, who will have no choice to comply in
order to stay in business. This regulation will affect the farmers and processors the most, but will
trickle down to consumers as well. An economic analysis should be done in order to weigh the
costs and benefits of requiring new labeling.
While GMOs are the talk of the century right now, it is possible they could be replaced
altogether someday in the near future and end the controversy once and for all. In very recent
years, researchers believe they have found a new way to modify plants, and this time in a much
simpler way. CRISPR, Clustered, Regularly Interspaced, Short Palindromic Repeats, is the latest
technology in genetic engineering (Amelio and Melino, 2015). With CRISPR, scientists are able
to take a single nucleotide and changed one letter code, causing an intentional mutation of the
gene (Weiwei, Tong, Zhongrui, Chaobin, Wei, and Rentao, 2016)
It is true that CRISPR is still in the beginning stages and has yet to be on the grocery
store shelves. However, I believe that it will soon take off much in the same way as traditional
GMOs and become a staple in food production. While this new type of genetic engineering will
likely be more appealing amongst consumers, I believe the same group of consumers who are the

most worried about the effects of GMOs will also be concerned about the effects of CRISPR.
Genetic engineering may never win the battle amongst a small percentage of consumers, but for
the majority of the country, CRISPR may just be the greatest invention yet.
With the number of farms across America decreasing every year, it is imperative that
farmers continue achieving higher yields on their crops in order to feed the growing population
on diminishing land. Genetic engineering has allowed farmers to achieve this goal thus far, and
CRISPR may be the key to even greater success. This new technology allows scientists to
pinpoint problems down to specific genes and alter them to create the desired outcome (Amelio
and Melino. 2015). It is more timely and cost effective than current ways of genetic engineering.
Once CRISPR products hit the shelves, it will be interesting to see consumer trends and
how much they like or dislike the new genetic engineering. Consumers will ultimately be the
determining factors, although it does have a direct impact on farmers. Genetic engineering, in
one form or another, will continue to play a large role in production agriculture throughout my
lifetime. I believe CRISPR will eventually become very popular in the world of agriculture and
food production, though it may take another decade to develop desired varieties of Americas
biggest commodities. We may never win the war on GMOs, but in the meantime, Ill be thanking
a farmer for allowing me to sleep at night with a belly full of food genetically modified or not.

Bibliography
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Hart, John. 2014. "GMO labeling controversy continues." Southeast Farm Press 41, no. 28: 1516. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 27, 2016)
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