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ARTICLE: We are those big, GMO farmers

The following is an except of a column at AgWeek explaining why some farmers choose to grow GMOs. 

We use GMOs by choice to help us fight drought, erosion, pests and fungus. GMOs leave a smaller footprint and help us be more responsible stewards of our land. We proudly buy and consumes products grown with GMO ingredients because we understand what they are, how they help and the science that has proven them safe for over 20 years.

We are the farmers who use chemicals carefully and in the correct amounts to manage risk and our environment and to provide you a safe, reliable food source. We often rely on modern chemicals that have been developed to be more effective and less toxic than chemicals used decades ago.

But we are also the farmers who use GMOs and other technology to reduce our chemical use as much possible. Not because the chemicals we use aren't safe, but because they are expensive and require extra trips across the fields.

We are those big farmers. From the outside looking in, people often look at us as large farmers. Surveys have indicated the average American defines a "large farmer" as anyone farming more than 100 acres. We are 20 times that.

Other farm families would consider our farm size average or standard. We farm more acres and have more animals because we needed to grow to support another family returning to the farm. We farm more acres because we have equipment and technology that allows us to. We farm more acres and have more animals because we actually love farming.

We are those farmers that raise grocery store food. We aren't "local" to hardly anyone, with the exception of a handful of folks in Linn County, Mo. Our calves and lambs end up on your grocery store shelves, without any labels to distinguish it as "better" or "safer." Our corn and soy end up feeding animals across this country and in food products that end up on your store shelves, again, without any distinguishing labels.

We are those farmers, but it is not our story. We are not scary, and neither is the food we are raising.

To read the entire article, please visit AgWeek .