Monsanto Strikes Again

Okay, so I was over at Brittany's blog and couldn't help but be in shock. I was in shock because I JUST got done talking about this very issue of Round Up and Monsanto's control with a local, organic blueberry and elderberry farmer last week. So, here are my findings...

Monsanto is a money-maker. We all know this, right? They don't care about their products. They're out for the almighty dollar. I know this because I know their products DON'T work. Including Round Up! Round Up is a weed killer. It is very concentrated, to the point where it will 'appear' that it is killing your weeds, but alas, they will be back. Round Up wasn't made to kill permanently. It's made to temporarily kill so that you need to go back to the store and buy more. Kind of like a bad haircut. You get it cut just enough so that you have to go back in a few weeks for another trim. :)

If you think about how a plant is SUPPOSED to die via weed killers, it is supposed to die as the spray is soaked up by the roots. Problem is that, just like our bodies (we drink water directly, but our skin is our biggest organ and absorbs as well), a plant doesn't absorb through its roots only, but through its leaves. I'm sure you're all familiar with chlorophyl and its process. Okay, so Round Up is so concentrated that the leaves don't absorb it and the plant doesn't actually die. My farmer friend told me the secret. You have to DILUTE IT. When you dilute a chemical such as Round Up, it develops a 'half life', meaning it doesn't last as long with a ph level of above 7. It's half life is only 17 minutes. You can do this if you can dispurse the chemical in 17 minutes or less, but most people have a large piece of property they want to spray with...farmers! They can't spray their crops in 17 minutes! So, they spend TONS of money on the full, concentrated Round Up. Well, if you use 1 cap full of lemon or lime juice and mix it into a 15 gallon jug of water and Round Up, you're creating a longer life for the chemical. The thing is, you have to WAIT. After mixing, give it time to let the ph level lower to 4 1/2 or 5 1/2. Now, if you spray THAT mixture on your plants, your plant will die, PERMANENTLY. Pretty cool huh?

Personally, I'm a fan of just weeding by hand. I don't use ANY chemicals in my yard and garden. Why? Because it's bad for the earth, bad for my chickens to graze on it, bad for my garden veggies should they accidentally soak some up through roots or absorb it by their leaves. I grow my veggies as organically as possible. I don't use fertilizers or pesticides. The only thing I use on our garden is Ditemaceous Earth and I recently just learned that this substance is sold through many different names. The makers change the content every-so-slightly to create a NEW PRODUCT and label it with a new name. Crazy.

Bottom line...how can we stop Mansanto? Don't buy their products! Soy is in everything...cereals, processed products, soy milk, etc. Buy healthy, raw, organic fruits and veggies. Plain and simple. Soy is terrible for you and so many have bought into the myth that because it comes from a bean (has to be loaded with protein, right?), it's okay. Not true. Alright, I'll get off my 'health soap box' . I just read this and had to post a little somethin' on my own blog in support of Brittany. ;)

*Just as a side note, I don't think that God's creation should be tempered with. I myself have genetically modified apple and peach trees. They're called a Floripeach tree and Anne Apple. Apple and peach trees aren't meant to grow in Florida's heat, but someone genetically modified it do so. I guess I supported the process by purchasing the trees. Oops. Anyway, I'll think twice about this topic of GMOs and make sure I'm not buying foods with it!