As a wrap-up piece for a series on genetic technology in agriculture, the NY Times wrote focused on Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food, an excellent book written by two UC Davis professors; a geneticist wife and an organic farmer husband. I’ve read the book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the topic of genetic technology in agriculture.

This post at the sustainability website Grist is unsurprisingly skeptical of the concept of sustainability and GMO seeds going hand in hand, I think that the coverage of the book is a positive step for education of the general public about what is a complex scientific topic. This book provides a thorough explanation of the differences between conventional breeding using molecular markers and the techniques of transgenic breeding. If we’re going to have a good public debate about this topic, having some facts as the basis for the debate is critical.

Bringing that debate to the forefront of my local community, Oregon is now in the thick of the discussion. The Oregonian notes that the debate on GMO seeds is now right in our backyard. Oregon has a diverse agricultural industry, from high value specialty crops to rolling fields of wheat. It turns out that this is also a great place to grow seeds – seeds for GM sugar beets. The debate about the technology that enables our agricultural prosperity, is not confined to the corn fields of Iowa and the soybean fields of the South, but is something that everyone needs to consider as we become more attune to the global and local supply chain for our food.