The Grass is Always Meaner on the Other Side

Genetically modified grass found in the wild

In what could be the first confirmed instance of a genetically modified plant growing outside a farm in the U.S., EPA ecologists have found an unapproved type of GM grass in the wild in central Oregon. The EPA said the creeping bentgrass (could it sound more evil?), being developed by Scotts Miracle-Gro and Monsanto to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup, will probably not be an ecological threat -- but it may provide fodder for critics who have worried that GM grass will pass herbicide resistance to its wild, weedy relatives. Meanwhile, similarly concerned green groups in Hawaii called for a moratorium on open-air tests of "bio-pharmed" crops, engineered to produce human proteins, pharmaceuticals, and ingredients for vaccines. "To date, effective control programs have not been demonstrated to our satisfaction," said Jeffrey Barach of the Food Products Association. If only Hitchcock were alive to make a movie about this stuff ...