The Truth About Monsanto

Monsanto is a multi-billion dollar company that started in 1904. They're motto claims that the company is "a sustainable agriculture company aimed at helping farmers all over the globe".

Some consider Monsanto to be the mother of agricultural biotechnology. One of the leading producers of biotechnology, genomics and herbicides for crops, Monsanto is also the creator of the weed killer Roundup.

Many people who are anti-Monsanto claim that the company creates mutated crops in an effort to increase sales of Roundup. These genetically altered seeds are designed to withstand the harsh chemical, leaving weeds to dye and crops to flourish.

The controversy surrounding Monsanto revolves around their production of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), as well as Monsanto's close-knit relationship with the United States government and some of the largest corporations in America. This leaves consumers, farmers and even scientists wondering whether or not this "sustainable agriculture" company is as sustainable as they claim, and whether the crops they are producing are safe for human consumption.

1901 - Monsanto was formed by John Francis Quincy as a bioegineering company that produced chemicals aimed at prolonging the life of crops.

For many decades, Monsanto remained under the radar while manufacturing products containing chemicals like Agent Orange, PCB (a cause of many different cancers), as well as bovine growth hormones. What products were they creating? Well, Monsanto was creating seeds for farmers to "aid them in the growth of crops."

1967 - Monsanto entered into a joint venture with IG Farben, a German chemical firm that was the financial core of Hitler's rule. IG Farben was also the main supplier of Zyklon-B to Hitler's SS regime during the Holocaust.

1957 to 1967 - Monsanto was hired by Disney World to create a majority of the buildings for Disney's 'Tomorrowland' - after Disney discovered the hazardous nature of the materials used in the construction, the buildings were destroyed, however not before 20 million people visited the Monsanto created attractions.

1976 - Congress bans PCB for its danger to the public, causing Monsanto to redesign their formulas for a majority of their products.

1984 - Monsanto is fined for contaminating groundwater in Atlanta, Georgia with arsenic laden waste.

2002 - The Washington Post writes an op-ed piece about Monsanto and how they have been deceiving the public for decades, discussing the company's intential use of pollutants in their products, as well as their massive attempts to keep this information underwraps.

2002 - An organic farmer has a study conducted on his crops - findings show that chemicals from nearby farms have contaminated all of his crops with GMOs.

2004 - The EPA rules that Monsanto must go under evaluation for their release of Agent Orange from their plants over a twenty year time period.

2008 - Documentary film-maker Marie-Monique Robin releases "The World According to Monsanto" - the film was banned immediately from airing in the United States.

2010 - Monsanto grossed over 10 billion dollars in profit while the United States economy fell to ruins.

• GMOs have been found to be linked to a number of diseases, including brain cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, sarcodosis and more.
• Despite the numerous studies showing the dangers of the chemicals used by Monsanto, there are still no laws requiring companies to label foods that contain GMOs.
• Monsanto is one of the biggest supporters of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC is an ultra-conservative group of state lawmakers that promote bills in the House and the Senate that benefit big corporations, while harming the public.
• Despite claims by Monsanto, GMO seeds do not yield higher quantities of crops.
• Over 500,000 babies have been born with developmental issues due to Agent Orange exposure from Monsanto.
• Monsanto's GMO foods have been linked to food allergies never before seen.
• Monsanto has been found guilty of false advertising, lying to official government agencies, and committing scientific fraud.
• 70% of all processed food in the United States contain GMOs.
• The United States is one of the only developed nations that does NOT require the labeling of GMOs in food.
• Rather than helping small farmers, Monsanto has sued hundreds of thousands of farmers on the basis that they have committed patent infrigement.

From the outside, Monsanto tries to appear like a community-friendly solution to problems with supply and demand in the food industry, as well as a more efficient method to approach agriculture.

Monsanto, however, is more than meets the eye. Founded over a century ago by a pharmaceutical scientist, only in the past couple of decades has the company began to gain substantial ground in their industry and only in the past few years has Monsanto started to become a houssehold name.

During the 1990s, Monsanto stayed under the radar as they polluted the food supply with chemicals and provided farmers with supplies that killed their crops (despite claims that the supplies would benefit the farmers). Once the 2000s came around, big corporations saw the money making potential of the company and began to partner with/invest in Monsanto.

Today, Monsanto ranks as the third from bottom in a Nielson study on company reputation - only being able to surpass BP and Bank of America. While the government passes bill after bill allowing Monsanto to flood the food supply with GMOs (genetically modified organism) filled products and continue contributing in large part to the extirmination of honey bees, protests form country-wide objecting to Monsanto. On top of escalating the bee crisis, Monsanto chemicals have also been shown to contribute to the massive death of birds and the irreverisble damage to the majority of crops that keep the agriculture industry afoot.

From 2013 to 2014, Monsanto saw a 23% rise in profits on its soybean seed business, racking in over $2 billion just for this one sector. The company predicts a 200% growth in the upcoming fiscal year. Their profits and soaring stock prices are frightening even to Nasdaq analysts, many of whom report never seeing such a spike across all of the markets in such a short time period ever before.

If you want to avoid a frightening monopoly, if you want your family to eat food devoid of chemicals, if you want our landscape to remain intact, or if you want to help save wildlife of all kind, especially the honey bees, just say no to Monsanto.