This document summarizes key issues facing farmers worldwide related to increasing global demand for food, soil management and sustainability, water conservation, and costs. It discusses the increasing demand for sustainable foods and how crop yields have increased historically and can continue to do so through improved technologies, livestock management, and soil health focused on soil microbiology and carbon content. Concerns are raised about some industrial agriculture practices and effects of GM foods based on animal studies showing potential health risks. Ways to promote non-GM alternatives and tipping points in consumer rejection of certain agricultural technologies are discussed.

2. SOIL, AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK AND
HUMAN HEALTH
CURRENT ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
NATURAL PATHWAYS TOWARDS REMEDIATION AND
FEEDING NINE BILLION PEOPLE BY 2050
Arun K. Bahl, DVM, MPH, PHD, DACPV
Bahl Farms/Consulting Inc.
17519 Jetton Road
Cornelius, North Carolina 28031
Email: abahl1@hotmail.com Phone: cell: 704-904-8373

3. KEY ISSUES FARMERS ARE
FACING WORLDWIDE
 INCREASING GLOBAL DEMAND FOR FOOD
AND FUEL
 SOIL MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
 WATER CONSERVATION
 LAND AVAILABILITY AND COST
 GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS (OR LACK OF)
 TRANSPORTATION AND LABOR COSTS

4. INCREASING DEMAND FOR
SUSTAINABLE FOODS*
 SLOW BUT DRAMATIC INCREASE FOR NATUAL ORGANIC OR SUSTAINABLE PLANT AND
ANIMAL PROTEINS
 A DRAMATIC SHIFT AWAY FROM CONVENTIONAL CHEMICAL BASED FARMING METHODS
 ARE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTIONS METHODS TO BE BLAMED?
 OR IS THERE A BIG FLAW IN PROCESS CONTROLL?
* USA “ORGANIC FOODS” SALES ARE INCREASING AT 15% EVERY YEAR.
LAST 10 YEAR $ GROWTH HAS ALMOST 1000%

5. INCREASING YIELDS: PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE
 DURING THE 1930’S US FARMER HARVESTED 1.6 TONS OF CORN
PER HECTOR
 1960’S THIS INCREASED TO 4 TONS/HECTOR
 TODAY THE FARMER AVERAGES ALMOST 10 TONS/HECTOR
 BETTER FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT
 MORE EFFICIENT FARMING MACHINERY
 BREEDING OF HYBRID SEEDS WITH BETTTER STRESS
TOLERANCE
 OTHER FACTORS DESERVE CREDITS

6. LIVESTOCK FARMING, INCREASED YIELDS
 FROM BREED SUBSTITUTION
 CROSS BREEDING
 WITHIN BREED SELECTION
 ADVANCED NUTRITION
 IMPROVED MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF
TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY, AIR SPEED, VENTILATION RATES ETC.

7. CARCASS WEIGHTS
(SAME AGE MARKETED)
1960’S NOW (2013)
CATTLE 160 KG 400 KG
PIGS 70 KG 140 KG
CHICKENS 1.4 KG 2.5 KG
TURKEYS 10 KG 21 KG
 ALL CONSUMING THE SAME AMOUNT OF FEED AS 1960’S BUT
WITH MORE THAN DOUBLE THE WEIGHT
 CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT IN FEED CONVERSATION
 BETTER DISEASE CONTROL ETC.

8. NEWER TECHNOLOGY
AGRICULTURAL CROPS AND SOIL
MANAGEMENT
 PRECISION TECHNOLOGIES TO MONITOR FEEDING
 GPS TRACKING TO ANALYSE EQUIPMENT USE AND PLANTING
 USE OF HYBRIDS AND GENETIC BIOTECHNOLOGY TRAITS:
CORN HYBRIDS WITH RESISTANCE TO CORN BORERS AND ROOTWORM
 APPLICATION OF BIOLOGICAL GROWTH PROMOTERS:
AUXINS
HUMIC AID/FULVIC ACID
OTHERS
 BETTER AGRONOMICS
PLANTING DENSITY, FERTILIZER USE EFFICIENCY, BETTER SOIL MANAGEMENT

9. MODERN CHEMICAL AND INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE
CONTRIBUTE TO RELATIVELY LARGE YIELDS, BUT CORE
PRODUCTIVITY STILL DEPENDS ON MANY BASIC FACTORS
INCLUDING
 SOIL HEALTH
 SOIL TEXTURE
 AGGREGATE SIZE
 CATION EXCHANGE CAPACITY
 SOIL MICROBIOLOGY
 WATER AVAILABILITY, SOIL WATER HOLDING
CAPACITY
 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AS NITROGEN AND
PHOSPHOROUS RUNOFF

10. SOME CHEMICAL AND INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURAL
PRACTICES ARE NOW COMING UNDER SCRUTINY
AS BEING UNSUSTAINABLE AND UNSUITABLE
IT IS NOW REPORTED THAT THE CARBON CONTENT
OF SOME MID-WESTERN STATES OF USA, SOILS
HAVE REDUCED CARBON CONTENT, FROM 20% TO
AROUND 1% IN THE PAST 40 YEARS

11. FERTILE SOILS CONTAIN HUNDREDS OF
MILLIONS OF MICROBES IN A SINGLE GRAM
MICROBIAL BIOMASS IN 1000 SQUARE FEET OF TYPICAL
FERTILE SOIL INCLUDE
 12 POUNDS OF BACTERIA
 17 POUNDS OF ACTINOMYCETES
(BACTERIA THAT PRODUCE ANTIBIOTICS)
 35 POUNDS OF FUNGI
 8 POUNDS OF PROTOZOA (DECOMPOSERS)
 3 POUNDS OF ALGAE

12. UNDER FAVORABLE
CONDITIONS
 OF MOISTURE
 AERATION
 PH
 TEMPERATURE
 AVAILABLE CARBON
 INORGANIC NUTRIENTS (eg NITROGEN)
SOIL HAS ENORMOUS POTENTIAL FOR MICROBIAL ACTIVITY*
*ADDITION OF HUMIC ACID TO MICROBIAL CULTURES AT CONCENTRATION OF 30 MG PER LITER
RESULTED IN PROLIFERATION OF SOIL MICROBES UPTO 2000 FOLD. VISSER S. A. 1985

13. CURRENT ISSUES AND
CHALLANGES

14. The Health Risks of
Genetically Modified Foods

15. Allergens
Toxins
New diseases
In reality, agency scientists warned of:
Nutritional problems

16. Person in charge of FDA’s GMO
policy ignored scientists’
warnings
Michael Taylor
Former Monsanto attorney
Later Monsanto vice president
Now back at FDA as
US Food Safety Czar

17. GMOs are
Inherently Unsafe
The GM process
creates massive
collateral damage
in the plant, which
can cause side-effects

18. GM potatoes
damaged rats
(10 or 110 days)
Rats developed
• Potentially pre-cancerous
cell growth in
the digestive tract
• Smaller brains, livers
and testicles
• Partial atrophy of the
liver, and
• Immune system damage
Lancet, 1999

19. Rat Livers
C, D – GM-soy
group
А, B – control group
A
B
C
D

20. Stomach lining
Non-GM GM

21. Mice fed GM soy
Testicular cells (including sperm) had
altered structure and function
European Journal of Histochemistry, 2004

22. 19-day old rats
Larger rat is from control group;
smaller from GM-soy group. Irina Ermakova,
2005-2007

23. Rat testicles
Control GM soy fed
Control GM-soy

24. Death of baby rats
Control GM-soy Non-GM soy
Irina Ermakova, 2005-2007
>50%
10%

25. Preliminary evidence
Rat offspring did not conceive

26. When the entire
Russian facility began using
GM soy-based feed,
infant mortality
for all rats hit 55.3%.

29. First study in the world to look for horizontal transfer of GM DNA using state
of the art technology in sensitivity & analysis, as well as the appropriate
molecular probes.

45. BIOREMEDIATION

46. Evidence of GM soy-related
problems

50. Genes
transferred
to gut
bacteria or
into DNA

51. If Bt
genes
transfer
They might
turn our
intestinal
bacteria
into living
pesticide
factories

60. Bt in crops
Built-in insecticide

61. Bt-toxin
Industry claims Bt:
 Has a history of
safe use
 Is destroyed
during digestion
 Is not active in
mammals

62. In reality

63. Bt in crops

64. Laborers in India report the same reactions to Bt cotton as those who
were sprayed
Itching, eruptions, wounds,
discoloration

65. Bt cotton
 Hospital records: “Victims of itching have increased
massively this year . . . related to BT cotton farming.”
The Sunday Indian, 10/26/08

66. Bt cotton Thousands of sheep
died after grazing on
Bt cotton plants

67. Small Sheep Study
GMO group:
100% mortality within 30 days
Feb.
2008

68. Indian buffaloes
Reproductive Problems: Prolapsed uterus, premature
deliveries, abortions, infertility
Sudden death

69. Buffalo (Warangal)  Grazed on Bt cotton plants (1 day)
 Sick and unconscious for 2-3 days
 13 deaths

70. Many animals avoided GM feed when
given a choice

71. Tipping point against rBGH
 September 2006, Boston Globe
“Dairies are rushing to rid their bottled
milk of artificial growth hormones. . .
it could be a tipping point.”
 October 2006, New York Times
“It seems to be an explosion in
the industry.”
 Wal-Mart, Kroger, Starbucks, and
about 40 of the top 100 dairies
have rejected rBGH so far.

72. L-tryptophan produced by GM bacteria
Killed about 100 and caused
5,000-10,000 to fall sick

74. CONCLUSIONS

75. If GM crops are so bad, why don’t we see more problems?

76. Current Assessments
No post-marketing
surveillance
No human
clinical trials
No proper evaluation
of plant changes
or effects
Approvals based on:
•disproved or
untested
assumptions
•industry studies

77. The American Academy of
Environmental Medicine
“Animal studies indicate serious health risks … including infertility,
immune dysregulation, accelerated aging, dysregulation of genes
associated with cholesterol synthesis, insulin regulation, cell
signaling, and protein formation, and changes in the liver, kidney,
spleen and gastrointestinal system.”

78. How do we
stop the
genetic
engineering of
our food
supply?

79. Tipping point for
rejection of GM crops

80. Scientists Appeal to Pope to Get GM
Foods Banned in Brazil appeared first on
Sustainable Pulse.
Pope-Francis
Aug 11, 2014 04:36 pm | Sustainable
Pulse
Chinese and International Experts Slam
GMOs and Glyphosate at Beijing
Conference
Aug 09, 2014 06:52 am | Sustainable
Pulse
Top Scientists Challenge Makeup of US
GMO Risks Panel
Aug 06, 2014 05:59 am | Sustainable
Pulse

81. Campaign for Healthier Eating
in America
www.ResponsibleTechnology.org