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  • From: prmsdlndfrm AT aol.com
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Bt sweet corn
  • Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:21:08 -0500

One problem I have is I live smack dab in the middle of the corn belt, so every corn pest there is I have, and being in middle America corn belt with heavy rural populations the size of the organic market is small and well served, the larger market is rural folks, with whom price and looks are paramont, these are Wal Mart folks.
josh



-----Original Message-----
From: Beth Spaugh <lists AT rhomestead.com>
To: 'Market Farming' <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Mon, Jan 25, 2010 8:47 am
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Bt sweet corn

Problem 1: Last I reliably heard, the bT gene is espressed in all parts of the GMO corn plant, including the pollen. That pollen blows in the wind for miles, and can cross-pollinate non-GMO plants, producing seeds with the GMO genes. This “contaminates” the genetic pool. It may harm insects such as ladybugs and bees that eat the pollen. OK, I don’t know if ladybugs “eat” pollen purposefully ot not, but I know they can get coated with it so even in cleaning would ingest some.
 
Problem 2: pests seldom “mutate” to become resistant to pesticides. The usual route is that there are some individuals in the population that for some reason are more tolerant or resistant. Kill off all the susceptible plants and you have a resistant population. Bt sprays are one of the few “pesticides” that are pretty nontoxic to sprayers and are available to organic growers. If Bt is widely used and pests populations become resistant, then Bt will no longer be effective.
 
One solution: find other customers. I am fortunate to have a customer base that would rather see a worm because they then “know” it hasn’t been sprayed. It has taken several years to find that base, and I travel an hour for the largest base, and I am only a 3 acre market garden.
 
Are you scouting? Do you have pheromone traps in your fields to know which moth is present when?
 
Beth Spaugh
Rehoboth Homestead, Peru, NY
Farm Fresh Food Club CSA - http://rhomestead.com
Garden fresh vegetables, organically grown, and pastured chicken, duck, and geese
 
"How we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used." - Wendell Berry
 
"Without power over our food, any notion of democracy is empty." - Frances Moore Lappe

From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of prmsdlndfrm AT aol.com
Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 10:35 AM
To: Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [Market-farming] Bt sweet corn
 
 
Ive asked about bt sweet corn on other sites and was crucified, but not many of them were realy growing for thier livlihood. But you all seem to be more open minded. I love to grow sweet corn, its always a good seller, but its a constant battle with ear worms. Todays customer will not tolerate anything like that, If you cut the ends off and that end browns they wont buy that either. What is you alls opinion on bt corn.
 
Also how well does it keep before going starchy. I need a corn that will keep its eating quality for at least a day or two.
 
thanks :
josh
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