(article, Culinate staff)
This past spring, when genetically modified wheat was discovered growing in a field in Oregon, farmers were furious; as Amy Halloran noted on Civil Eats, much of the wheat grown in the Pacific Northwest is destined for Asian markets, where GMOs are not always welcomed with open mouths. But Stateside, the discovery was just another indicator that GMOs turning up in farm fields — as happened recently with alfalfa — is now, as the Nation of Change news site put it, our '"new After all, the vast majority of North America's commodity crops — soy, corn, and cotton, plus sugar beets and canola — is now genetically engineered. But farmers aren't necessarily thrilled about it, especially if (as is common here in Oregon's Willamette Valley) they grow crops for seed export. And the anti-GMO campaigns aren't going away; despite defeat on the ballot last fall in California, organizers are preparing for another GMO-labeling battle over Initiative 522 at the polls this fall in Washington state. Meanwhile, a new documentary film, '"GMO opened this month. Watch the trailer online, then check to see if it's playing near you.