<p>So which fresh corn is best? Grilled, roasted in the oven, or boiled and slathered in butter, salt and pepper?</p>
<p>^ Steamed. Silver Queen.</p>
<p>^ Boiled with a handful of sugar (gasp :)). Butter, salt, and pepper. </p>
<p>I too am young for my age! So says everyone. I have yet to meet a healthy 50-something American who admits to looking and feeling 50.</p>
<p>^^^^^LOL, Snowdog, I think you are right. </p>
<p>Ever since my neck surgery, I’ve felt all of 50, and if I didn’t color my hair, I’d probably look it too. Although after I lose a few pounds and get back in shape with my strength training program, I’m going to look not a day over 40. Right?.. Right?..er, okay maybe 45. ;)</p>
<p>"Cotton farmers in India die after growing Btcotton.
The butterfly-nectar-soybean story is not true.</p>
<p>100% of people die after consuming even one sip of organic tomato juice."</p>
<p>Yeah, but tens of thousands of cotton farmers have died sooner, of economic causes lined to BtCotton. </p>
<p>It has proven psychosocial effects. First it impoverishes them, their families, and their entire community. Then they become mentally disturbed. Then they commit suicide.</p>
<p>^#100 in the quote–what do you suggest farmers grow? I’m interested. Has to be a cash crop that can service the debt on their $300,000 combines and $200,000 tractors, pay for the seed, fertilizer, labor, repairs, cash rent, taxes, insurance, etc. I don’t think “simple” corn-bean rotation will fix enough nitrogen in the soil for corn, or at least it won’t around here. GMO corn will cost ~$300/bag; non GMO ~$150/bag–fairly salty either way.</p>
<p>For #100 and #106, I attended a lecture about a week ago by a scientist from the Union of Concerned Scientists that showed charts regarding that data. And lots of other data too. It was part of an agricultural training day at UMD.</p>
<p>I’ll see if I can find specifics somewhere online.</p>
<p>Well, DH thoroughly enjoyed his fresh corn on the cob (boiled it and simply added butter, salt, and pepper). He couldn’t care less about any of the issues above, at least tonight. He was a happy, sated camper.</p>
<p>The speaker was Doug Gurian-Sherman and he referenced the 9 year Marsden study conducted by the USDA, the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University. </p>
<p>[UCS</a> Vision for Healthy Farms in the 21st Century: Agroecology has the Answers - The Equation](<a href=“http://blog.ucsusa.org/ucs-vision-for-healthy-farms-in-the-21st-century-agroecology-has-the-answers-12]UCS”>http://blog.ucsusa.org/ucs-vision-for-healthy-farms-in-the-21st-century-agroecology-has-the-answers-12)</p>
<p>He also mentioned some things that are here about increased use of pesticides in seed treatments with neonicotinoids (sp?), banned in the EU, which may be leading to a drastic increase in the death of bees in just the last two years. </p>
<p>[Pesticide</a> Use is Actually Much Greater Than Reported - The Equation](<a href=“http://blog.ucsusa.org/pesticide-use-is-actually-much-greater-than-reported-138]Pesticide”>http://blog.ucsusa.org/pesticide-use-is-actually-much-greater-than-reported-138)</p>
<p>And for what?
</p>
<p>Thanks for posting the reference.</p>
<p>I’ve read up a bit on the Marsden Farm studies. The goal was to compare yield and net returns between a conventional 2-year corn/soybean rotation, 3-year corn/soybean/oat rotation, and 4-year corn/soybean/oat/alfalfa rotation. It was found that the more diversified cropping systems compared favorably with conventional methods in terms of both corn/soybean yield and average net returns, while reducing energy and chemical inputs. The effects of genetically engineered seed were considered as a secondary project and were only studied for three years (2008-2010).</p>
<p>Just to be clear: this source does not show that “simple crop rotation between corn and soybeans” would “eliminate the need for GMO crops or any use of Bt.” Yields were somewhat higher for GE corn in all rotations. However, the increased costs were such that net returns in the 3-year rotation were comparable for GE/non-GE systems and actually favored non-GE in the 4-year rotation. In the 2-year corn/soybean rotation, GE products did produce significantly higher returns.</p>
<p>This is the relevant cite for the GE/non-GE comparison:</p>
<p>G</p>
<p>This thread is a great illustration of the need for better science education in the US, especially among non-science majors (beginning, perhaps with the OP).</p>
<p>
This reply is a great illustration of the need to ask oneself, before hitting the post button, “Does my post meaningfully contribute to the discussion, or am I just being snarky and needlessly insulting?”</p>
<p>I do not eat corn and I do not eat omelets on a regular basis. Once in a while is OK (at least in my books) and for me this once in a while for both of these foods means maybe 3 -4 times / year, I simply forget to eat these. I never forget my chocolate, nuts, ice cream, and I bet each of them includes both corn and eggs, so what is actually the point? I cannot see how we can avoid them, that is why I used breathing example before. Can we live without breathing? No. Can we live without corn? of course yes, but that would be enormous effort to avoid consuming it entirely. Can we maybe use this time for a bit of additional walk in a park or swimming or other much more useful activity? I have decided, yes. You can decide otherwise, it is your right.</p>
<p>notrichenough, the post might sound a bit “snarky” to you, but the poster hit the nail on the head. When uneducated people take over genetics research, this is what could happen: [url=<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysenkoism]Lysenkoism[/url”>Lysenkoism - Wikipedia]Lysenkoism[/url</a>]</p>
<p>No, Lysenkoism is what happens when people make stuff up and call it science it order to further their political and social ambitions.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is really related to being uneducated or not, but I am neither a historian nor a political scientist, so maybe I am wrong.</p>
<p>And arguing that you need to be “educated” in something before you can ask a question or participate in a discussion is elitist.</p>
<p>noimagination - I distinctly remember Dr. Gurian-Sherman saying that the alternate year rotation of corn and soybeans negated the need for Bt corn by greatly diminishing the incidence of the corn rootworm. I didn’t see that mentioned in the link I provided but I remember him saying that. Anyway, I find the longer rotation with legumes more interesting and promising.</p>
<p>“Lysenkoism is what happens when people make stuff up and call it science it order to further their political and social ambitions.” Correct. But for this to work effectively, the stuff they made up needs to be swallowed by the uneducated masses as the ultimate truth (and the experts in the field need to be silenced). The OP contains many scientific inaccuracies because they support the OP agenda (these inaccuracies have been already addressed by several posters in the thread). </p>
<p>“And arguing that you need to be “educated” in something before you can ask a question or participate in a discussion is elitist.”</p>
<p>This topic has been addressed in the Boston bombing thread. Sorry, notrichenough, I do not see any connection between your statement and the post you are referring to. The poster simply stated the fact that many posts in this thread contain inaccuracies because of the posters’ lack of basic understanding of the science involved.</p>
<p>BTW, notrichenough, there aren’t many people who remember Lysenko’s place in history - you definitely pass the "educated’ test 
:). Here is a bit of historical trivia: Khruschev (to whom Lysenko served as an advisor) was a big proponent of corn:
[Khrushchev</a> and Corn – 1958](<a href=“http://osaarchivum.org/files/holdings/300/8/3/text/56-1-466.shtml]Khrushchev”>http://osaarchivum.org/files/holdings/300/8/3/text/56-1-466.shtml) he would have had a blast posting in this thread :)</p>
<p>
That could be the case in some situations, or maybe in your region.</p>
<p>“The variant western corn rootworm has lost its ovipositional fidelity to maize and lays eggs in a variety of other crops, most notably soybeans, in the Corn Belt of the United States, negating the pest management benefits of crop rotation.”
([Source](<a href=“http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1250&context=entomologyfacpub]Source[/url]”>http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1250&context=entomologyfacpub)</a>)</p>
<p>I’m not an expert on this stuff. The entomology here gets very technical and I don’t really like reading about insects. These are definitely challenging problems and it seems to me that we need all the tools we can get, possibly including transgenic biotechnology. I don’t know enough about the specific products available now to say whether they are worth using; I just hate to see fear of the unknown or the “unbelievable” impede potential progress.</p>
<p>
To me, saying “beginning, perhaps with the OP” is a clear statement that if you aren’t “educated” you have no business expressing your opinion.</p>
<p>
If all it takes to be “educated” is 30 seconds of reading a wikipedia article, then sure, count me in the elite. ;)</p>