Joey and Libby Early
Bob Quinn, a farmer from Big Sandy, talks about whether it’s time for genetically modified wheat.
This is the 29th chapter of the 32-part video series “The Montana Ethic Project.” This chapter features Bob Quinn, a third-generation wheat farmer from Big Sandy, talking about the dangers of genetically modified wheat. You can watch the whole video below. Here is an edited transcript of how it begins:
“Good afternoon. My name is Bob Quinn. I’m from Big Sandy, Montana, where I’ve been a farmer for over 30 years; I’m a third-generation wheat farmer. I was raised there, my grandfather started the farm in 1919, and my father was raised there. I went to the local schools in Big Sandy, came to MSU for a bachelor’s and master’s in plant pathology and botany, and then went to UC Davis for a Ph.D. in plant biochemistry. I returned to the farm in 1978 to raise my family.
“Today I’ve come to talk about a subject that I think is very important and entitled, ‘Is it time for GMO Wheat?’
“I would like today to raise a warning voice to both consumers and grain growers, not only in Montana but throughout the country, concerning the introduction of GMO wheat in its present form.”
Here is another, edited excerpt from Quinn’s presentation:
“We have really seen our government turn a deaf ear to demands and requests for further research that guards the health concerns that people have seen after they and their animals have eaten GMO foods.
“Many people, after consuming GMO foods, feel types of negative responses. Those who feed it to their animals are seeing reduction in fertility rates. But without proper research studying these observations we really don’t have any idea what is actually happening, about what is the root cause of these problems.
“But I think we should never be afraid to ask the hard questions; to demand that before these patented foods are released that the proper studies have been done to ensure they are safe for us.”
PERC—the Property & Environment Research Center—is a proud sponsor of the Montana Ethic Project. To learn how PERC’s ideas can help us honor one another’s rights to land, water, and wildlife,visit perc.org.
First week: Project introduction.
Second week: Richard Drake on “Terrorism and the Consolation of History.”
Third week: Mike Gear on “The Value of Athletics.”
Fourth week: Franke Wilmer on “Gender Equity.”
Fifth week: Gordon Brittan on “The Founding Fathers.”
Sixth week: Jim Posewitz on “Montana Sportsmen and the Hunter’s Ethic.”
Seventh week: The Rev. Jessica Crist on “Religion and Politics: Can They Co-exist?”
Eighth week: Chuck Tooley on “The Montana Character.”
Ninth week: Steve Bullock on “Citizens United v. Montana.”
10th week: Carol Williams on “The Imperative for Female Government Participation.”
11th week: Bob Rowe on Technological Development.”
12th week: George Metcalfe on “Economic Development in Africa and Its Relationship to Montana.”
13th week: Bruce Smith on “Montana’s Food Economy.”
14th week: Peggy Beltrone on “Montana Wind Energy—Business and Politics.”
15th week: Mark Solon on “Creating an Intermountain West Startup Economy.”
16th week: Bill Yellowtail on “Futuring and Native Leadership.”
17th week: Judy Martz on “Trust in the Lord and He Will Direct Your Path.”
18th week: Bob Brown on “Teddy Roosevelt’s Shadow in Montana’s Big Sky.”
19th week: Gordon Belcourt on “A Montana Native Perspective.”
20th week: Dorothy Eck on “The Montana Constitution and the Right to Know.”
21st week: Pat Barkey on “The Montana Wage Disparity.”
22nd week: Thomas Power on “Valuing Montana: An Economist’s Observations.”
23rd week: Larry Simkins on “The Culture of Safety.”
24th week: James Shanley on “Education Reform.”
25th week: Greg Gianforte on “High Tech in Montana.”
26th week: Jakki Mohr on “The Corporate Model for the 21st Century.”
27th week: Timothy James Lecain on “An Ethical Nature?”
28th week: Steve Running on “Montana Climate Change.”
29th week: Jamie Doggett on “The Role of the Humanities in Functional Communities.”
Next week: Terry Anderson on “Free Market Environmentalism.”
