One expert says the StarLink corn fiasco could have been avoided by tracking the genetically engineered corn. A lot of old-fashioned footwork goes into making sure a premium crop grown under contract for a big company like Cargill is planted in a field separate from other corn or beans so it won’t cross-pollinate with the different strain, and that it’s shipped in a clean container and not mixed up with another lot. Founder Jim Mock says John Deere’s an investor in Crop Verifeye, and says it helps trace special crops and their “genetic integrity.” Jim Mock, a vice-president at “Crop Verifeye,” says auditors begin before the crop is even planted.He says they can trace a crop from a bag of seed to a loaf of bread. One way a farmer can make more for a crop is to produce seed for a big company under contract. A former Monsanto employee, Mock says auditors check storage bins, shipping contracts, and the growing fields, all to make sure the grain is tracked from the moment it’s planted.Specifications are included in the contract a grower signs with Cargill, A-D-M or some other big company, and they set out how the crop will be grown or handled. Mock says the field must be isolated from other similar crops so pollen won’t blow across a fence and compromise non-genetically-engineered grains. Mock says Crop Verifeye can aid farmers who’d like to prove they can grow contract crops to strict specifications.They’ll go over the property and help put together a “resume” for the farm so they can offer to grow those premium crops for big companies. Crop Verifeye tracks a crop through harvest, shipping, sales, transport and manufacturing, so there’s no question where genetically modified grain goes.
