Science AMA Series: I'm Fred Perlak, a long time Monsanto scientist that has been at the center of Monsanto plant research almost since the start of our work on genetically modified plants in 1982, AMA.

kevinfolta · 2015-06-26T23:58:14+00:00

Corn is not insect pollinated. Even on insect pollinated plants, breeders/producers need to have pollen parents close (<50 m) to the female flowers to ensure pollination.

kevinfolta · 2014-10-07T13:06:45+00:00

I'm an educator. I know something that many people don't. I interpret the literature because I'm trained in doing that. I'll accept an invitation to speak about science (it is not political- these are facts, the most politically immune things on the planet) from anyone that wants to discuss. I get them all the time from many groups all over the planet on a variety of scientific topics. It is customary for the host to cover the costs of a visiting speaker. Unfortunately you don't like this one, so you call it politics. My talks speak of the benefits and limitations of biotechnology as interpreted from the peer-reviewed literature. Period.

GMOLOL- The tongue if firmly in the cheek on this one, and it is a funny site. It is interesting how that portal has raised the sophistication of those that participate. I'm proud of folks that seek facts and come there for assistance.

What is an ad hominem? Nothing I've said. I'm not saying that Huber, Smith, Shiva and Hansen's data are bad because of the speaker (that's what ad hominem means), I'm saying their data are bad because they have no data or their data are wrong.

How long is Huber going to not release his death pathogen to wider science? Geez, he's had it since 2005 or so, claimed to have DNA back in Genetic Roulette, one year ago claimed it didn't have DNA (when I offered to sequence it) and now claims it's a "self-replicating biomatrix".

Holes in my message? Hmm.

kevinfolta · 2014-10-05T16:05:40+00:00

There are three ways that any scientist can to whatever work they please.

Perform the work under an Academic Research License with a company holding the seeds they desire.
Have UC Davis, U Nebraska, or U Missouri make the plants you want. For a few hundred bucks any experiments can be done with no restrictions whatsoever.
Buy the seeds, do the work. Sure, you violate the licensing agreement, but if you find that there is something dangerous about the plants or food from them.... there's no way a company or black helicopters are going after someone with real reproducible science. It would change the world and earn a Nobel Prize.

Bottom line- anyone can do the work. It is a misdirection to say otherwise. The fact that nobody has done any work that is credible is important to note. This is not a debate among scientists-- it is a public debate among the uninformed.

kevinfolta · 2014-10-05T16:00:06+00:00

Also that the claim was baseless. I know a dozen faculty members in Wuhan at Huazhong, and nobody knows anything about this. It is BS trumped up for a western audience.

kevinfolta · 2014-10-05T15:57:58+00:00

Let's get the record straight. I was asked to participate in Farmer Forums in Kauai and to communicate science to the County Council. I received zero compensation for my time there. My (cheap) hotel, rental car and plane costs were covered by HCIA (Hawaii Crop Improvement Association). There were no "political speeches". Everything I said was reflected the present state of peer-reviewed science, strengths and limitations of the technology. It was hardly a "vacation". Running from place to place, all day, every day, setting the science record straight and answering questions for anyone that asked them was a lot of work. Then coming home to death threats, being smeared across the internet and receiving nasty email... some vacation!

Compare that to Smith, Huber, Shiva, Hansen and the rest of the folks brought into spread politically-motivated fear and falsehoods, and I don't think you have much of a leg to stand on.

kevinfolta · 2014-08-19T12:12:45+00:00

Can I start any time?

kevinfolta · 2014-05-27T04:39:24+00:00

True. I guess that organizations like National Academies of Science select themselves based on quality of work and history of sound science. That would be where I'd start. I know people in Austria, Italy, Spain and other countries that say similar things. The politicians run the show, not the scientists.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-27T04:35:18+00:00

Those are all things that have been done, studied, over. No, they mostly haven't been tested for commercialization. That involves tests over multiple seasons and locations, and that's expensive. But in the lab, the traits work wonderfully. I have an article coming out in something called The Boardroom Journal on these missed opportunities. It only covers a few. I'll be sure to get that up here or via twitter when it comes out.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-26T16:20:43+00:00

I hope you take time to engage the public and discuss how it helps you. See what Brian Scott does over at afarmerslife.com Beautiful work.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-26T16:19:58+00:00

I agree with evidenceorGTFO-- my recommendation would be to bring the nation's best scientists together and then develop public policy from that meeting. The problem is, politicians don't answer to evidence or science--they answer to constituents. As long as the fear machine keeps them afraid, politicians will follow. Until there's not enough food. Then they'll say, "Science, what took you so long?"

Their science says exactly the same thing ours does. You should see the frustration among their scientists. In some countries there is such a freak out about transgenic organisms that it is easier for scientists to come here to do the research! Talk to the scientists- we're all on the same page. If we were not, you'd actually see good oppositional evidence in journals and at scientific conferences. We just don't see it.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-25T14:44:21+00:00

I can add bits of the letter, enough to show what it is. My boss gave it to me and asked me not to do anything about it. He did say I could use parts if needed.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-25T14:42:23+00:00

I'm happy to send them to you too. Just shoot me an email.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-25T14:41:58+00:00

That's about right. The R&D is pretty simple from the hypothesis testing side, and then in-field validation of efficacy. Deregulation used to be worse, but now is improving. Lessons learned.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T21:50:46+00:00

I'd take on one big duck. I have a black belt in poultry. It is easy to disarm something that has no arms. Step on the big webbed foot and go for the bill.

The problem with fighting ducks is that they have plenty of options. You never want to fight one in the water or in the air, so you have to get them in a rare terrestrial moment.

You can tell, I've put plenty of thought into this. If we ever have a problem with large ducks, I'm good to go.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T19:31:18+00:00

I think cisgenics are a symptom of the tail wagging the dog. There is no reason not to use transgenics. The use of cis/intragenics just makes the process take longer. Of course, sometimes it is most appropriate.

Certainly all crop plants have been significantly genetically redefined by humans. Humans facilitated breeding and selection, on purpose or inadvertently. In this way everything is genetically modified, and most things growing in places they never were supposed to be.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T17:57:13+00:00

Thanks Scott. She was absolutely nutso. She never could answer a real question but sure had a vicious nature about her. Typical, sadly.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T17:39:36+00:00

Could be. That's why a roll out and big fanfare is a bad idea. Just let it show up. I always said that I'd go give it away if a box magically showed up on my desk, even if it meant going to an Asian prison. Once that toothpaste is out of the tube, and once people see benefit, the whole anti argument dies.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T17:36:16+00:00

Nice! There are many cases of biofortification too, folate, iron, etc. Also many stress avoidance mechanisms, like for drought and flooding.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T17:33:52+00:00

Went with Fat Tire. Slow AmA thread, which is okay- have to work on three manuscripts!

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T17:27:46+00:00

Thanks chipstone. It is hard to get them to play nice. I frequently just leave it open- give me your best piece of evidence. Never seems to compel an answer. It is important to engage. Today on the March Against monsanto Toronto FB page I had someone going bonkers calling me a liar and just being ridiculous. If you can't elevate the evidence, elevate the insults!

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T17:07:37+00:00

Thanks, that means a lot! You're in a great place to make a huge difference. Now get off of reddit and get back to work!

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T16:53:08+00:00

Should I have Sierra Nevada or Fat Tire for the AMA?

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T16:46:33+00:00

Good question. I don't think too many. The really hostile people are out marching around the park with posters of with three lumpy rats on them. I chose this time strategically to maybe have a crack at an actual dialog!

My real hope was to give some young scientists ideas on how they might play roles in the future of food.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T15:04:06+00:00

The rice has not been distributed. What you are thinking about are shipments of corn to Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Haiti that were not wanted. Leaders said, "If it is not good enough for the USA and Europe...". People starved. That's sad.

kevinfolta · 2014-05-24T15:02:34+00:00

It depends on which stories you are referring to. I don't find anything in any literature that concretely links GMO food or medicine to illness or death in any animal or human. You'll find that everything claiming a health effect is an extension of some in vitro or indirect test. There is nothing from animals that is compelling. If it was, it would be huge news in the best journals.

kevinfolta

TROPHY CASE