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How a talk on GMO soybeans made my dinner party awkward
I remember when genetic modification was a big scare story. Last year, at a dinner with friends, I brought up the new GMO soybeans that need less water. My friend's wife, who's into organic stuff, just froze with her fork in the air. Her face said it all, like I insulted her cooking. Someone tried to change the subject to the weather, but the mood was off. It's weird to think back on how charged that topic was. Now, with droughts getting worse, more people see the good side.
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jamie1167mo ago
My cousin's farm in Nebraska tried drought resistant soybeans for three seasons. Yeah, they used less water, but the soil compaction got so bad nothing else would grow in that field after. Are we just trading one problem for a bigger one down the road?
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joseph1047mo ago
Sounds like @jamie116's cousin found that cutting corners now just makes you pay double later.
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the_morgan7mo ago
Watch people get weird about GMO soybeans and you'd think I suggested putting poison in the salad. That dinner party freeze-up is a whole mood. But @joseph104 has a point about cutting corners, and jamie116's cousin shows it's not simple. Maybe the soybeans save water but wreck the dirt, so we fix one thing and break another. Feels like we're all just guessing and hoping the next fix doesn't backfire even worse.
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