Future of Farming

Organic farmers have long been concerned about the possibility of contamination from non-organic crops that are in close proximity to their fields. The increased use of genetically modified crops, especially corn, has given Blue River Hybrids, a company that offers seed especially grown and conditioned for organic farmers, reason to further develop and now offer a line of corn which does not accept pollen from other corn varieties; consequently growers can be assured of a non-contaminated product. Representatives for Blue River confess that plant breeders have been aware of this for years, but were not financially motivated to develop it until recently, with the increased use of genetically modified corn. This particular corn hybrid has been developed through traditional selective breeding, and tested over several years. With the development and expansion of plant and seed hybrids such as this it hopefully won’t be long before cross contamination issues between organic growers and non-organic growers will be a thing of the past. A future where organic and conventional farming operations work together to feed the world’s growing population isn’t just a pipe dream, it’s a necessity.