Genes are physical memories of an organisms learned experience.  According to Bruce Lipton PhD., a cell biologist and professor, in his book "The Biology Of Belief",  he writes that recent advances in genome science have revealed that living organisms actually intermingle with their cellular communities by sharing their genes.  It was once thought that genes are passed on only to the offspring of an individual organism through reproduction.  Now scientists have found that genes are shared not only among individual members of a species, but also among members of different species.  This sharing of genetic information via gene transfer results in one organism acquiring a "learned" experience from another organism.  This sharing of information is nature's way of helping different organisms live together in the same environment.  When genes are exchanged among individual organisms, their "memories" are dispersed, thereby influencing the survival of all the organisms that make up that entire community of life.

There is a concern in the agricultural and food community as to how well genetic engineers have considered the reality of gene transfer when they have introduced genetically modified organisms into the environment. Two common grains grown in my agricultural area are a genetically modified herbicide resistant wheat and a herbicide resistant canola. Dr. Lipton, in his book, speaks of the gene transfer between genetically engineered agricultural crops and surrounding native species giving rise to highly resistant super weeds. A report published in a local farm newspaper reported that farmers who grow herbicide resistant wheat after herbicide resistant canola will have to use more chemicals on both crops to get rid of volunteers, which will also be herbicide resistant. What of the potential gene transfer between a field of genetically modified grain and a neighboring field of a natural grain? Are we protecting our natural grains from such an event?

Also of great concern is a study (Heritage 2004; Netherwood, et al, 2004) which Dr. Lipton speaks of, which shows that when humans digest genetically modified foods, the artificially created genes transfer into and alter the character of the beneficial bacteria in the intestines.

I grew up on a mixed farm in the mid 1950's to the mid 1970's era. Our farm which consisted of 80 acres of land was considered to be an average-sized farm at the time. Typically, forty acres were sown each year with two to three different crops and the other forty acres were largely summer fallow and pasture. Summer fallowing was done for weed control and also to maintain the nutrient value in the soil. Crop rotation was also a common practice. My father chemically sprayed a field only once in the growing season for weed control and we sometimes hand picked weeds like wild mustard. A light fertilizer was applied in the spring at the same time as the seeding. Most crops were cut into swaths when ripe and then left to dry until they were ready to harvest with a combine.

Today's farm situation and farming practices are totally different. Most farms are several hundred and even a couple of thousand acres or more in size. Although they are still family owned, these farms are mostly partnerships or family corporations. I am told, when speaking to different farmers, that a combination of

• the high world population
  
• the demand for food
  
• the low grain prices
• the high input costs (seed, fertilizer, chemical, fuel and insurance costs)
• high land prices
  
• the huge expense and the size of machinery required
  

is all dictating the way farming is done today. As a result, there is little to no summer fallow, so the land rarely rests. Fertilizer applications are high so that high crop yields can be achieved.  I compare this to a person taking the supplement instead of eating the apple.  You get some nutrition, but you don't get any fiber.  The land needs more than just liquid or granular fertilizer put into it.  It needs nutrition put back from the plants it sustains.   There is an extreme amount of chemical spraying for weeds, insects and crop diseases also to maintain high yields. Stronger and stronger chemicals are required to rid a field of weeds that only a few decades ago were simple to eliminate.

In our area, most wheat fields are desiccated when the crop is ripe to bring the wheat to a state of total dryness while it is standing, so that swathing can be avoided and the wheat field can then be harvested by a straight combining method. The same chemical used to desiccate the wheat also acts as a herbicide on the existing weeds. A local company that purchases wheat for the production of macaroni expects a germination rate of 78% or higher from the wheat kernel for the grain to be acceptable for their product. A desiccated wheat crop will show a germination rate as low as 29% and lower. What is the food value of this desiccated kernel? If we are producing grains of a lesser food value what are we really feeding the people? I am told that a pregnant cow is not to be fed the straw from a desiccated wheat field. What then is the consequence to the human of eating the wheat kernel from the same field? What is the effect of all the chemical spraying on our environment? What thought is being given to the effects of this spraying on our birds and animals? What is the increased chemical and fertilizer application doing to the quality of our air and water?

There is no simple solution to the dilemma of food shortages and to the survival of the farmer. It is evident, however, that current farming practices need to be seriously reviewed.

I conclude with a quote from Dr. Lipton that states - "Genetic evolutionists warn that if we fail to apply the lessons of our shared genetic destiny, which should be teaching us the importance of co-operation among all species, we threaten human existence."