GMO what are they and what is the science.

In almost every Master Gardener presentation I give, I am asked questions about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s). Although this is not my specific area of expertise, I try to answer the question(s) as best I can. Recently, the Extension Master Gardener Coordinators Online Discussion Group through eXtension presented a webinar titled “Natural? Organic? GMO? Good, Bad, Ugly or Evil?” (It is available at the web address below: Click on the February 18 link titled “Helping MG’s answer GMO Questions”). The webinar is presented by Dr. Mary Keith (Ph.D. in Food Science), a Family and Consumer Science Agent with the University of Florida. http://create.extension.org/node/93850. This is obviously a very controversial subject, and people believe what they believe for a lot of different reasons, but people engage us in discussions on this subject and are interested to hear what we have to say. I watched this webinar and found it very interesting – it takes an hour to watch the full presentation. You might find this webinar helpful in answering questions from Master Gardeners and the general public. You may also consider showing it to interested Master Gardeners (I suggest you watch it first, just so you know the content of the presentation). An Internet search on GMO’s will result in a lot of information from a variety of sources, including the World Health Organization (http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/food-technology/faq-genetically-modified-food/en/) and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/biotech-faq.pdf). You may also have Family and Consumer Science Agents in your office who get questions on this subject – please feel free to share this information with them. If you are not a member of the Extension Master Gardener Coordinators community and listserve, you might consider joining (there is a link at the top of this webpage). They offer a lot of useful resources for Master Gardener coordinators and offer monthly webinars on a variety of subjects. I hope you find this information useful,