Opinion
FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 13, 2018
29
GM grass just treats symptoms John King
W
HENEVER people ask me about genetically modified ryegrass I remind them of a statement credited to retired AgResearch scientist Tom Frazer who, addressing a farm group discussing new clover cultivars, said “You already have about 100kg/ha of huia (white clover). Do you think 3kg/ha of new clover cultivar will make a difference? How will you tell?” My question is how will it be any different when introducing GM ryegrass? As almost everyone following this space knows, most GM plants are designed to be herbicideresistant. The only way to maximise projected profits is to spray out all other pasture species. Twenty-five years of herbiciding GM crops in North America resulted in more than 160 herbicide-resistant weeds. Just how that outcome helps farmers is never mentioned. It fits up there with feeding cows mashed brains and spinal cords – science where only farmers are held accountable. Does GMO ryegrass address root causes farmers face? Overseas research is continuing to challenge monocultures of any pasture species – that pastures and crops produce more biomass when planted in polycultures than on their own. Different plants with diverse leaf shapes, angles and volumes result in pastures photosynthesising more sunlight and producing more and different kinds of exudates to enhance a living soil community that builds better water-holding capacity and fertility. New Zealand research also shows livestock production improves with multi-species pastures, particularly deep rooting plants.
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EXAMPLES: Two pictures taken on same day. On the left an area sprayed with glyphosate for 12 years. On the right one sprayed for three years. Over time only very low fertility grasses survive. Note the colour highlighting their poor health. Spraying to maintain a monoculture promotes the myth one plant can provide all nutritional needs, John King says.
There is no mention of whether roots of these ryegrass plants go deeper or are more vigorous in growth than non-GM cultivars. Methane is a short-term greenhouse gas. Retired Australia Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Walter Jehne is one of the best communicators pointing this out. Transpiring grasses release water vapour loaded with hydroxyl ions. These ions convert methane into carbon dioxide and water. Climatologists have known for more than 60 years water vapour accounts for 95% of global heat dynamics and carbon dioxide is 4%. The reason climate scientists can’t see the elephant in the rumen is that it’s too big to fit. So what do farmers really need to know about methane? Transpiring grasses release 100 times more hydroxyl ions to deal with methane from livestock grazing that exact same pasture can produce. As Jehne points out, to save the world from a Siberian methane burp we need more grasslands grazed by livestock.
Drought? On farm most droughts arise from poor decision-making around grazing practice. Just how this new ryegrass will prevent farmers overgrazing it is unclear. If farmers continue their existing practices that exacerbate drought conditions this ryegrass will not correct their habits. Research and consultants constantly mention it’s not types of technology, crops, livestock or whatever else farmers use that determine profitability, it’s financial discipline as well as the ability to observe surroundings and act that matter. More sugar? Higher sugar levels result in plants maturing faster and livestock on shorter rotations. What will that do for soil compaction, reducing irrigation, soil aeration and the constant need for pasture renewal? Shorter rotations reduce root integrity resulting in livestock pulling plants out of the ground. GM ryegrass grows faster but there is no mention of whether mean annual production also increases, higher or lower levels of mineral nutrients are required or whether speeding up plant
metabolism increases pasture longevity. Even sugar ryegrasses change their composition when excess nitrogen fertiliser is applied by reducing complex sugars required for fast regrowth after grazing, thereby lengthening recovery periods between grazing. There is also no mention of whether livestock prefer this grass over others. Again in North America wildlife refuse to graze GM crops because they are bitter and maize cobs contain chemicals like formaldehyde. In feedlots farmers notice livestock behaviour changes when eating GM feeds. Animals become restless and agitated and death rates rise over time when livestock are confined to GM feed. Farmers here report similar outcomes grazing fodder beet and swedes sprayed with chemical cocktails. Just like in North America no research is ever done on the impact these chemical cocktails have on livestock health and performance. Thing is, GMOs have huge potential.
Imagine if science could produce a grain that thrives in a perennial grassland, doesn’t require additional fertiliser, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, with straw that properly decomposes on soil surface contact, seeds remain true for the following season and people get healthy eating the grain and suffer no unintended consequences. That is highly unlikely is because of the difference between how nature works and how humans think. Luckily, we have farmers now looking for solutions to bypass this risky and expensive technology.
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John King specialises in holistic and regenerative farming. He can be contacted on 027 6737 885 or john@ succession.co.nz
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