Joan Ruskamp

Nebraska Farmer

Independent Expert

Expert Bio

Joan grew up a city girl dreaming of the farm life. She and her husband started farming in the early 1980s. Now, more than 30 years later, they still work side by side caring for their family and their farm. The Ruskamp family feeds cattle and raises corn, soybeans and alfalfa near Dodge, Nebraska. Joan’s father-in-law was raised on the farm, so it has always been important to them to honor those who started their farm.

“As our five children have grown, I have become active in our community as a 4-H leader, volunteer EMT, catechist, and a member of several farm organizations. My experience from the Nebraska LEAD Program has enabled me to get more involved in promoting agriculture through the Farm Bureau Pen Pal Program and blogging about popular agriculture topics like biotechnology.”

Studies, Articles and Answers

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Q: Why do so many people oppose GM technology, in the face of overwhelming clear and convincing scientific evidence that it causes no harm and offers great benefits, both now and in the future? How can those of us in favour of it effectively make our case?

Answered By Joan Ruskamp - Feb 11, 2014

A: As a farmer, I have had the opportunity to hear concerns about how we raise our food. Many times I have been asked if I am an organic farmer or where they can buy my products. It seems the majority of consumers that have come into contact with a farmer have only done so through farmers markets. There the consumer meets the producer, develops a relationship and trust is built in the product as well as in the producer. When I direct the conversation towards questions about GMOs I am often met with a negative reaction. GMOs are associated with big companies and big f [...]

Environment Health & Safety