Such hubris! The chemical companies that own these GMA crops said the exact same thing years ago about their products, and look, nothing has changed. The insects and bacteria and weeds will always adapt to the environment. All you need is some to survive any pesticide or herbicide application to replicate. We would be so better off in not using these crops, but the idiots that run our government seem to know better. Haven't we learned from the use of antibiotics in our lives and in cattle that we only seem to make things worse for ourselves? We need to do as Europe does and ban these crops from our lives.

My father was involved in agriculture as a farmer and in many other related roles for 60 of his 93 years, and he said the problem today is that too many farmers are more interested in sitting in the cafe downtown shaking dice or playing cards to see who pays for the coffee that day rather than working. They work one month in the spring planting and one month in the fall harvesting. Dad, said too many have all their eggs tied up in one or two baskets — corn and/or soybeans. He said the old ways of having multi-crop farms along with animals helped a farmer battle the ups and downs each crop of animal type would go through since it is rare when all are down — or up — at the same time. I think the same can be said in the battle against pests. When farmers raised corn or soybeans in fields that measure half the size of a small county, the pests that focus on those crops are going to be concentrated and multiple expendially. Divestify your crops, rotate, incorporate natural enemies of the pests, etc., and you don't have to rely to much on chemicals. You may have slighly smaller yields, but your inputs would be lower enough to retain the profit margins and your field chemistry would be improved.

Farmers were also warned to make sure that certain tracts of their tillage in certain edges and corridors were to Not be sprayed and Not be planted with "linked" corn or soy. These places would serve as "anodes" in the fields for the bugs. A very high percentage of farmers did NOT do this and now we reap the whirlwind. Farming pure and simple is a greatest polluter and one of the most ecologically unfriendly citizens we have. The whole notion of corn for fuel is on every metric a failure and a morally bankrupt one at that

This is an editorial, not serious reporting. The "reporter's" bias is clear, as indicated by her description of "dousing plants with Roundup". The application of six ounces of the active ingredient in Roundup (glyphosate)to an acre of cropland(roughly the size of a football field)normally wouldn't be described as a "dousing", unless the writer was on a mission, which this one clearly is (see her butterfly article based on a screwball study that was discredited as soon as it examined. This writer has featured sources that reflect her mission. But, if the yelps of environmentalists (and their hired 'eco-scientists') were to ever be heeded, 40% of this planet would starve. There are serious scientists working jointly with this nation's producers to feed this planet, let them do their job. They know how.

Europe can't feed itself, let alone anyone else. For all the yelps of the uninformed, this country produces more food with each and every passing year. Even in the face of last season's widespread drought, this nation was once again the breadbasket of the world. As it will continue to be if the people that understand food production are allowed to do their job. This country didn't become the breadbasket of the world by listening to negative whiners. It became the breadbasket by letting the folks who can do the job do their job.

I grew up on a farm and still help on our family farm. People that grew up in the city have no idea what farming is even. I will say this farmers have no control over what is in the seed. The big companies took that over. The world is growing in population and farm land is decreasing. If we don't have high yielding crops people will starve. If you don't like seeing people in africa starve just think if that was happening in america! Yes we have people in america hungry and yes we should be helping them but if we didn't have the crops we have we would stand no chance to even combat this problem in our own country! It's a fine balance we need to establish a way to combat pests and weeds and not destroy our eco system. We're at the brink not only with this but also with medicine. I will make one comment to the person that said "the problem today is that too many farmers are more interested in sitting in the cafe downtown shaking dice or playing cards to see who pays for the coffee that day rather than working" really!!! REALLY!!! yes i know a lot of old farmers that do that but not younger ones! come on! Farmers work spring and fall but its the in between work that you don't see. The semi loads daily to the elevators or the maintenance. Sure its not like it used to be but then again we have technology that changed everything. Everything changed with technology you fool even the job you do i'm sure. That's my rant and i'm sticking to it.

Corn and beans, corn and beans, corn and beans---the land needs to rest guys!

I think this answers the question of the article "Bees and Butterflies on Mysterious Decline".

"You can't fool mother nature." It sounds to me like we are outsmarting ourselves and have not learned from history. i.e. the potato famine in Ireland was caused by planting only one species of potatoes, there were strains that were resistant, but since they only planted the one, virtually the whole potato crop failed. If we only plant one crop or the same hybrid everything is susceptible, rather than some of it if we were plant diverse plants and strains. Plowing up too much soil is what caused the dust bowl. More pesticides kill off bees and butterflies which are crucial to pollination...

Morons. We knew this would happen. When you put all your eggs in one basket, be prepared to lose the whole basket. Plant a variety of crops, it's wisdom literally thousands of years old! Fer crying out loud, don't farmers ever pay attention to history?!