Customer Reviews

Lords of the Harvest: Biotech, Big Money, and the Future of Food

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Daniel Charles' "Lords of the Harvest" succeeds in bringing perspective to the biotech industry and the contentious issue of genetically modified food. The author does this by personalizing the protaganists at the heart of the story: the scientists who were driven mainly by the quest for knowledge and discovery; the businesspeople who sought dollar returns from their laboratory investments; and the environmentalists who felt that genetic engineering was simply the latest ugly manifestation of an out-of-control agribusiness industry. The result is a highly entertaining and readable book that should interest a wide audience.

The scientists who invented and nurtured the industry tend to get much better treatment from Charles than either the businesspeople or the environmentalists. As a former science reporter for NPR, Charles seems most comfortable painting psychological portraits of the researchers at Monsanto and elsewhere. Charles lovingly details the innovative and pioneering work that these scientists undertook and the intriguing problems they solved. Charles shows how these early projects gave shape to the modern biotech industry, and his writing in these sections is vivid and interesting. And in the chapter "Infinite Horizons", Charles enthuses about the potential of biotechnology to help solve the world's problems. Throughout, Charles' enthusiasm for science and biotechnology is unmistakable.

On the other hand, the businesspeople of biotech get beat up pretty badly in the book. You get the feeling that Charles seems slightly upset that big business can't figure out how to bring the benefits of painstaking scientific discovery to the people. Specifically, Charles relates the numerous and sometimes humorous mistakes made by executives at Monsanto and Calgene (the inventor of the ill-fated "Flavr Savr" tomato) in their quests to dominate their respective markets. Charles successfully uses these case studies to add color and context to the larger story that he is telling (for example, the author's profile of Monsanto CEO Robert Shapiro and his messianic-like appeal to the company's scientists to help save the world with biotechnology). Charles does an excellent job describing the corporate cultures and the motivations of key individuals, rendering his descriptions of the business wheeling-and-dealing that went on behind the scenes that much more interesting. However, I think that Charles is correct in concluding that it was the arrogance of Monsanto's top executives, more than any other single factor, that ultimately led to the company's demise and the public backlash against biotechnology.

Unfortunately, the environmentalists don't get treated much better. Although Charles appears to have abundantly interviewed scientists and businesspeople to gather original material for the book, it doesn't seem that he had much success contacting environmentalists; the profiles of well-known biotech opponents such as Jeremy Rifkin and Benny Sharlin appear to have been drawn from secondary sources. Consequently we don't enjoy the same level of insight regarding their motivations compared with the scientists. So although Charles does a respectable job of reporting why the environmentalists opposed biotech products and the actions that they took, the author's sympathies do not appear to lie with the environmentalists. Instead, Charles deftly swats aside several of the well-known studies that purport to show risks associated with genetically modified crops (such as Dr. Pusztai's rat and John Losey's Monarch butterfly studies). In fact, a certain level of hostility arises when the author makes the charge that environmentalists nevertheless publicized such "murky and ill-defined" (p. 208) studies purporting risk merely as a way to further their own agendas. But it does not seem to occur to Charles that many environmentalists might have organized the challenge to genetically modified food out of genuine concern for the welfare of consumers.

I also take slight issue with Charles on two other issues. First is his silence concerning regulation of the biotech industry. His techno-utopian bias leads him to claim that biotech is not substantially different compared with traditional plant and animal breeding practices, with the implication that the public should not be overly concerned about regulation of the industry. But the scientists' tools to recombine DNA in novel ways are so powerful and the effects are so little understood that it is not unreasonable to suggest that a greater level of corporate accountability should be required to ensure that the public interest is protected.

Second, Charles should have addressed the recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) controversy more adequately, given that this was a major Monsanto initiative (the heart of the book was about Monsanto and its scientists). His relative silence on this issue is defeaning: could it be that the environmentalists' charges about the risks of rBGH have at least some merit?

Still, I believe that Charles has done a good job of navigating some very tricky ideological terrain. "Lords of the Harvest" is probably as balanced a book on the subject of biotechnology as any other you'll likely find, and I highly recommend it.

If you want to understand the world of biotech foods, this book has it all - science you can understand, amusing accounts of corporate hubris; and the voices of passionate people on both sides of the issue. This is a well-written, balanced account of an important topic. I'm an English lit major who married an NIH scientist. In the past five years I've read a number of books on biotech topics - partly to understand what my husband does, and partly to get a better grip on what I think are some of the most pressing issues of our time. This is one of the best. It is spectacularly unbiased. One reviewer I read called it the most balanced and even-handed book he's read on the topic. It is also a pleasure to read. The scientists seem like real people (gosh, maybe they are), as do the business executives, and the protesters opposed to "Frankenfoods."

I tend to be on the liberal end of the spectrum myself, and believe there's much to be concerned about in agribusiness. But I think the good solid arguments are often lost in the clamor of people who haven't taken the time to understand an issue. Whether you already have an opinion, or, more importantly, if you've heard a lot of rhetoric and are looking to understand how and why biotech foods have come to be, this is a good place to start.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I attend the same church as Dan. But I think this is an unbiased review, and would urge you to read (buy!) the book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fair and reality-based account of the world of plant genetic engineering--that also happens to be an entertaining and well written page-turner. I have been studying, working, and ever wondering at the world of plant molecular biology and genetic discovery since the 1980's. Though I've remained a fairly secure civil servant, I could see from the people that passed through our labs and the general panic and depression in the field that somewhere... something other than the interest of healthy crops and feeding people was driving research and key decisions at high levels. Mr Charles gives a truly excellent educational and entertaining account of what was going on at the lab bench as well as the accounting department--from the consumers in Europe to activists in America. I appluade Mr. Charles for his accurate and unbiased account of exactly how Monsanto impacted the field--changing the research environment and general morale so negatively and irrevocably. His accounts of the complexities of the resistance movement and the swings of opinion and policy worldwide are clear and based in reality. I'm glad someone was willing to get the real story out there in a fair, honest and very well-informed manner. Thanks Mr. Charles!

In the epilogue of Lords of the Harvest, Daniel Charles talks about the power of stories to illuminate, and also to obscure. He talks about the mythologies that drive agribusiness and other competing mythologies that drive it's opponents. He can stand at a distance from both kinds of stories, and reflect on how well they are illuminating and obscuring.

On the other hand, Daniel Charles is himself a great storyteller.

I appreciated the way Daniel Charles helped me to think about both these kinds of stories, and what they have to do with food and science, religious faith and moral values in the 21st century. Mostly, Charles stays very close to the "everyday stories of ordinary people," end of the spectrum. How he managed to get so close to the lives of these people is something I wonder about! People on both sides of this issue obviously trust him a great deal, or he would never have been able to write this book.

The "grand myths" he talks about in the epilogue, this was a very nice way to wrap it all up. Part of the difficulty of these issues is that there is no overarching spiritual/ ethical framework that can encompass this conversation. Just competing ideologies, and very little common ground. (Where common ground does exist, Charles is good at finding it.)

It irritates me when scientists who write about agribusiness and genetic engineering castigate others who don't have their scientific credentials for being "sentimental" or ignorant. They do this in a way that intimidates ordinary people who do not have Ph.Ds, as if you have to have a particular diploma to discuss these issues. We need to fight this kind of arrogance and parochialism. Science may be an elite field, but food belongs to everyone.

Daniel Charles makes the discussion accessible to everyday people who want to know what is happening to our food, and who are trying to understand why it is happening.

This book provides a good and balanced background into how Monsanto changed the face of commercial agriculture. The author manages to stay relatively neutral in the battle between the opposing biotech proponents and "GMO free" activists. The only "slightly" negative point is that the book is now about 8 years old and an update would be most appreciated!

If you want to understand the world of biotech foods, this book has it all - science you can understand, amusing accounts of corporate hubris; and the voices of passionate people on both sides of the issue. This is a well-written, balanced account of an important topic. I'm an English lit major who married an NIH scientist. In the past five years I've read a number of books on biotech topics - partly to understand what my husband does, and partly to get a better grip on what I think are some of the most pressing issues of our time. This is one of the best. It is spectacularly unbiased. One reviewer I read called it the most balanced and even-handed book he's read on the topic. It is also a pleasure to read. The scientists seem like real people (gosh, maybe they are), as do the business executives, and the protesters opposed to "Frankenfoods."

I tend to be on the liberal end of the spectrum myself, and believe there's much to be concerned about in agribusiness. But I think the good solid arguments are often lost in the clamor of people who haven't taken the time to understand an issue. Whether you already have an opinion, or, more importantly, if you've heard a lot of rhetoric and are looking to understand how and why biotech foods have come to be, this is a good place to start.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I attend the same church as Dan. But I think this is an unbiased review, and would urge you to read (buy!) the book.

Lords of the Harvest by Daniel Charles, published in 2001 is a very good overview of the history, science and politics of the early development of biotechnology. The author has taken the time to review and cite much of the scientific literature about the early efforts at isolating, identifying and inserting genes. He does not start at the beginning with Mendel or even Watson and Crick but in 1983 with the announcement of the first successful transformation; a gene from one organism inserted and functioning in another. Much of the book also relies on the author's extensive interviews with many of the key figures in the early days of biotechnology and the narrative is much stronger for it.
I can easily envision this book being required reading for all of those students just now entering college and taking a lower or upper division introductory course in biotechnology since many of them were likely not yet born or were still in diapers when much of the work covered in this book was being done. The author does a very good job of describing how Agrobacterium tumefaciens and the Gene Gun were developed and used to insert genes into plant cells. He describes how next better promoter sequences were needed and how scientists quickly moved from simply inserting antibiotic resistance genes or other marker genes from bacteria into plants to developing (or discovering) the Bt gene to be inserted into plants and then to the gene that conferred resistance to the herbicide Roundup. And as each scientific hurdle was overcome, he describes the changes in business practices that led to the commercialization of these traits such as the right to patent genes and gene technology, the cooperation with seed companies that then led to a sharp consolidation of seed companies under the biotechnology companies that needed them as deliver systems for their gene, as well as the ongoing discussions with regulatory agents and grain handlers on how to handle these new crops in the market place.
All in all, I think the author has delivered a very informative and unbiased description of the science, politics and business practices that shaped the early days of the biotechnology industry.

Daniel Charles crafts an incredibly well-balanced and thoughtful account of plant biotechnology from inception to near-present. With evenhanded treatment of both sides of the debate, Charles weaves a fascinating and informative narrative.

I worked at Monsanto (Immunology Dept.) in the early 80's when all of the plant biotech stuff was going on, so it was fun to read about the guys I knew there and their collaborations. Some photos and extras. A little bit dramatic, but fun to read. Funny to think that this is now biotech history!

This one was not what I was looking for, but I was fascinated nevertheless. I was looking for something on agricultural policy, dealing particularly with tarrifs and trade. This one is about the politics and businees of bio-technology. What makes it so interesting is that the author is a good story teller. He is a science correspondent for MPR, and he tells the stories of his subject with the finest techinques of the storyteller's art. The subject itself is interesting from a sociological standpoint and he makes it fascinating with the depth of his research. The last chapter in particular is insightful enough to make the book a worthwile read for those with an interest in the broader aspects of the workings of business, politics, and in particular farming.