While much of television is little more than mindless dribble, there are shows which do hit upon themes taken from the headlines.
One example is a number of drama series which have highlighted the possible dangers which could be associated with drones. While the potential of drones in agriculture is rather broad, there are concerns over spying and the potential they have for carrying bombs.
I mention this because often shows which do pay attention to headlines in search of show themes reflect concerns out there.
An example more closely tied to agriculture would have been the season three episode of CBS’ Elementary entitled ‘Bee Collapse’.
The episode, which aired this past season certainly delved into a theme taken right from the headlines as there was definite concern about hive Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
CCD is the phenomenon which occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen.
Such disappearances have occurred throughout the history of apiculture, and were known by various names but the syndrome was renamed colony collapse disorder in late 2006 in conjunction with a drastic rise in the number of disappearances of western honeybee colonies in North America.
Recently a lot of speculation has surrounded a recently introduced family of pesticides called neonicotinoids as having caused CCD, and that was part of the Sherlock Holmes-based series episode.
To the show’s credit the writers did not go for sensationalism, with strong references that the cause of the problem was definitively determined.
Beyond that though, the agriculture issue was still front and centre in the episode.
And, it was of interest last week when the popular series Blacklist had as the primary plot thread the potential to unleash a disease targeting GMO corn, and how that might well cause a world food shortage and panic, it was at the very least thought-provoking.
Now as shows go, this one tended to paint a rather stark picture. A company involved in developing GMO corm was behind the threat. The company’s angle was rather devious and interesting. It wanted to create the disaster then arrive on the scene with a resistance variety to save the day, of course selling their new variety at higher prices.
Is the science at a point where the storyline is possible?
That is a good question, one I am not qualified to answer.
But, if I was a betting man, as they say, I would anticipate if the science is not there today, it is probably only a matter of time, a rather short time I suspect, before it will be.
The potential of GMO to herald in larger yields, to grow crops in areas they are not now compatible with, and to create varieties with exciting properties including broader insect and disease resistance, is certainly the up side of the technology.
But, like many things, in the wrong hands GMO could create new problems as well.
The Blacklist episode was only a story, at least for now, but we do need to make sure it does not become something much more real.
That does not mean turning away from GMO technology, but it does mean industry and government diligence is essential moving forward.
Calvin Daniels is Assistant Editor with Yorkton This Week.
