The thing you see above is a plant called Amaranth (this is Palmer Amaranth, one of many species). It's a superweed -- resistant to the ubiquitous and powerful herbicide Round Up -- and in many parts of the US an immense pain to farmers growing corn, soybean or cotton. They're spending millions to keep it from spreading in their fields, and not being too successful.
Now for the irony -- this plant is also completely edible and highly nutritious. It's been eaten for thousands of years around the world. Now farmers are trying to eradicate it in many cases so they can keep producing the cheap high-fructose corn syrup on which the soda and fast food and processed food industry depends. The very fuel of widespread obesity.
Talk about unintended consequences. You have to chuckle, really. More at Bloomberg.
No comments:
Post a Comment