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Criticism that GMOs have "not accelerated increases in crop yields" misses the point. If you pick weeds by hand, even organic farming can have great yields! Ar
by shoyer 10y ago
Criticism that GMOs have "not accelerated increases in crop yields" misses the point. If you pick weeds by hand, even organic farming can have great yields!
Are GMOs making food cheaper to produce? The answer is almost certainly yes -- otherwise farmers wouldn't be buying the more expensive GMO seeds, which now dominate the market for many crops.
Also, there are some crops (e.g., the Hawaiian papaya) that wouldn't even be viable today without GMOs.
Disclaimer: I used to work for a company that was acquired by Monsanto.
- analog31 10y agoLiving in central Wisconsin, one runs into a few farmers. I've heard the opinion on more than one occasion, that roundup ready corn & beans eliminate having to control weeds by plowing them under, thus reducing cost, fuel use, and soil runoff.
- dbcurtis 10y agoWinner, winner, chicken dinner. With the current cost of fuel, and the razor thin margins, minimizing trips over the field is the #1 way stay profitable.
- toomuchtodo 10y agoWould electric tractors and combines change the equation substantially?
- analog31 10y agoI'm not sure, because it's hard to guess whether the cost advantage of electric cars is due to efficiency or subsidy. By the same process, one could ask why they don't just run their tractors off of ethanol produced from their crops. But regardless of the energy source, an extra one or two passes across the fields is going to be an added cost.
- protomyth 10y agoI do wonder if electric cars paid a tax equivalent to the gas tax what would the cost be? Has anyone done the calculation? If a gallon of gas gets and average of X miles across all cars then how much electricity is that to tax the same amount? I'd be curious since I have strong privacy and persecution of poor people objections to a mileage tax.
- emp_zealoth 10y agoI swear to god, please stop comming up with fucking hyped beyond belief bullshit all the time. Have you even looked at fuel consumption of a tractor or a combine? Those use tens of litres of fuel PER HOUR. A combine could probably run on a biggest Tesla battery for about 15 minutes... Next time maybe propose solar powered tractor? /s
- jfoutz 10y agoTemper tantrums are fun. I get it. It's better to use numbers though. Diesel produces roughly 37 kwh/gallon [1] a powerwall can supply about 12kwh "all day" [2]. A powerpack is more like 100kwh. So, let's say 10 gallons an hour. you'd need 30 powerwall 2s to cover power needs. I think you're underestimating how well electric motors do in low speed high torque situations. I'd bet there are some efficiencies to be gained from those characteristics. Simpler mechanical linkages. One motor per application rather than a big hydraulic system and a funny transmission, for example. On the down side, batteries are HEAVY. You probably lose most of the weight savings from simplification to added mass in batteries. Back on the pro side, simpler systems are simpler to repair and maintain. But, i get your point, it's probably not there yet. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_gallon_equivalent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_gallon_equivalent [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Powerwall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Powerwall
- hueving 10y ago10 gal an hour is too low. I know someone who does soybeans at about 20 gallons per hour. So 60 powerwall 2s. Even if you solve the weight issue (60*270 lbs = 16,000 Lbs), the $330,000 cost for that many packs every 10 years makes it infeasible. That doesnt even account for electricity cost.
- jfoutz 10y agoPoking around a little it looks like the real measures are gallons per acre. Which makes sense, a gigantic machine moving fast will clear a ton of acreage, and suck down fuel like it's going out of style. So i picked a bad measure. As i said, i mostly agree, it's just not there today. That said, battery capacity historically improves 5-8% a year. Cars aren't worth it, but they're very close. I'd take the yes side of a $10 bet about John Deere selling an electric tractor in 15 years or less.
- Godel_unicode 10y agoNot as battery technology stands for the foreseeable future, no.
- jpollock 10y agoMy understanding is that there is government mandated pricing for crop insurance in the USA, which includes a legislated discount for GMO crops (after lobbying from the seed production firms). So, it ends up being a subsidy from the government to the farmer. Farmer choice as an indicator of increased production is not required, only that total cost (or risk) to the farmer is lowered. [1] Farm insurance as subsidy: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-700 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-700 [2] Lower price for GMO: http://www.rma.usda.gov/help/faq/bye.html http://www.rma.usda.gov/help/faq/bye.html