Press Release
Healthy Traditions

GMO-free and Glyphosate-free Corn Almost Non-existent in the U.S.

Over the past few years Healthy Traditions has tried to find corn in the United States that tested clean for the presence of genetically modified material and the herbicide glyphosate. We tested corn products that were USDA certified organic, and corn that also made claims to be GMO-free.

We found that all of them were contaminated.

We have been successful in some years growing clean corn with our farmers in Wisconsin, but often subsequent harvest years turned up positive results of GMOs in our testing, forcing us to find new sources of open pollinated heirloom corn. As a result, we did not have much corn to sell to our customers, and some years we had none.

But now, we have located some rural farms in Mexico that seem to have clean corn from native varieties.

GMO and Glyphosate Tested Corn from the Birth Place of Corn, Mexico!

Healthy Traditions is excited to bring you a new line of products made from corn grown in the region where corn is thought to have originated, Central Mexico! In order to find a consistent supply of corn that tested negative for both GMO and glyphosate contamination, we began searching in Mexico, where commercial GMO corn production is currently banned because of the rich genetic diversity and cultural significance that corn has there.

This open-pollinated corn has been grown in a traditional fashion, much the same way it has been done for hundreds, if not thousands of years in this region. The family of the farmer that grew this corn has a connection to the land for over a century, and the seed he uses has been passed down from generation to generation.

  

We asked the farmer to give us an inside look at how the corn is raised and cared for:

Abutted by healthy and well-watered forests of juniper, piñon pine, oak, and other coniferous species, our fields are ideally situated for sustainable cultivation. The minimal topography of our valley allows for cultivation on parcels that range from 12 to 120 acres in size.

Our growing season lasts approximately 105 days and planting begins in May, at the start of our rainy season.

Seeds are obtained from the highest quality cobs harvested the previous year, unaltered and descended directly from those used generations ago by our ancestors.

Approximately 13 to 16 pounds of seed are allotted to each acre in use.

To ensure the integrity of the land, we alternate our parcels every other year, utilizing the dormant portions for the production of organically-fed livestock, which in turn provides fertilizer for planting. Livestock also help prepare the land by incorporating the remains of previous harvests into the ground, thereby increasing the soil’s fertility.

We never use synthetic or inorganic fertilizers, relying instead upon parcel rotation, as well as the area’s ideal climatic and vegetative characteristics, to minimize exposure to plagues and maximize the quality of our output. Approximately 25 to 30 days after planting, and thereafter as needed, weeds and invasive plants are removed, or mixed with the soil as fertilizer, by mechanical means or, in extreme cases, by hand.

Harvest begins in the fall, once the stalks have reached a height of approximately 4 to 7 feet and appear dry. Each plant produces 1 or 2 cobs and the kernels are removed from the stalks by machine and subjected to a thorough cleaning prior to shipment.

Excess corn is retained as feed for livestock, which renews the cycle for future cultivation.

Our mission remains to bring the finest crops to consumers far and wide, applying the newest and best of organic techniques to an ancient tradition which remains the pride of our family and our people.

  

Healthy Traditions views the opportunity to help preserve this genetically diverse corn as a great honor and one in which we are proud to be a part of. We are also pleased to work with a grist mill that has agreed to dedicate one of their stone grinders just for grinding GMO-tested and Glyphosate-tested corn. This mill processes no other grains in this facility and our corn is ground in small batches to ensure freshness. The first products we will be offering from this majestic corn are:

• Stone Ground Grits – These are coarsely ground and similar to polenta
• Stone Ground Cornmeal – This is a coarse flour used as a coating and essential for making traditional corn bread
• Stone Ground Corn Flour – A finer grind than meal and can be used alone or in addition with other flours in baked goods
• Whole Kernel Corn – Ready for grinding at home

Some of the characteristics that make this corn unique are:

• GMO and glyphosate lab tested and not a trace of either found in our samples
• Grown without pesticides and herbicides
• Farmed sustainably with crop rotation along with grazing animals
• Seed that is specific to this region where corn was first cultivated and passed down from generation to generation
• Raised traditionally in a culture that takes pride in their corn heritage and strives to protect it from modern genetically altered DNA
• Ground in a corn only facility that is dedicated to GMO-tested and Glyphosate-tested corn
• Processed in small batches to ensure freshness

We believe this corn is among the finest, highest quality corn found anywhere in North America!