By Ray Cinti
It has come to my attention that a high school science project I led two years ago as a biology teacher at GMVS, may have inadvertently harmed the reputation of Hartshorn Organic Farm. I am writing to issue a public apology, and also do my best to explain that I never intended to cause harm, ill feeling, or negatively impact a neighbor’s business. My intent was to give students an experience of real-world science that I hoped would foster an appreciation for this special place where we live and learn.
The project was designed to detect genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on farms, explore what role they play in our food system, while simultaneously teaching them real-world lab skills. During the study, students collected samples from several local farms from which they extracted DNA and looked for evidence of transgenic plants. In hindsight, we could have been more forthcoming about the nature of our project when communicating with local farmers from the start. We thought that we detected GMOs in several crop samples, including, it seemed, crops from the Hartshorn Organic Farm. I know now that the results were not accurate regarding Hartshorn Farm. Here I need to pause and say that making mistakes in the lab is a normal part of the learning process. Student errors are commonplace and I'm certain their interpretation of the samples from the Hartshorn Organic Farm were inaccurate. While the results would have understandably been a concern to some, especially Mr. Hartshorn (and his customers), in the lab we were focused on the process and not the specific results.
Unlike any professional or official testing of crops, the data was not gathered through multiple trials; it was the data of high school students, working under time constraints, and certainly it could not be interpreted as scientifically valid or certifiable. Publishing our findings in the manner I did, without prior conversation with Dave Hartshorn, was a mistake.
I have since learned that Mr. Hartshorn had his garlic and zucchini crops, those with which we worked, retested by the Northeast Organic Farming Association and Johnny’s Selected Seeds, respectively, and in both cases they were found completely free of GMOs.
Our students did publish our initial findings (with specific reference to Hartshorn Organic Farm) in a school publication which was available online, and then used as an example at the Vermont Science Teachers’ Association Conference. I also produced a video which included photos from the farm (which was posted on my Youtube channel) and I understand now that a viewer could interpret the video to be pointing a finger at Hartshorn Organic Farm. That was never my intent and I regret that I didn’t see the video through that lens; it was an oversight for which I apologize.
Our purpose was never to cause harm or misrepresent a business within our community. I understand now how seriously the students’ work has affected Amy and Dave as they work to protect their reputation and hard-earned organic certifications. I apologize, sincerely, for the inconvenience and undue stress this all has caused.
Cinti is a science teacher at the Green Mountain Valley School.
