In theory, genetically engineered crops are meant to be better for the environment. For instance, Monsanto’s RoundupReady beets are designed so they do not require soil tilling and use far less herbicide than traditional or organic beet seeds. Reports newwest.net, “According to the Sugar Industry Biotech Council, using less herbicide means ‘reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced soil erosion, reduced soil compaction and enhanced water conservation.’” Certainly, those seem like good things. Unfortunately, in the same article, the Director of Advocacy and Communications for the Organic Seed Alliance explains that, “… while farmers might need less herbicide for the first few years, studies show that in the long term they’ll end up using more. This study for the Organic Center used USDA data to show that in the last 13 years farmers using GM seeds used 318 million more pounds of pesticides as the weeds developed a resistance to Roundup.”