Have these people never been to a farm to see what weeds and insects do to crop yields?

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Monday, 25 August 2008 06:41

AgBioView & Seed Today
Original Publish Date: August 22, 2008

Jamestown, ND - The anti-biotechnology crowd has adopted a new talking point, claiming that biotechnology does not increase yields.

Activist groups are highly skilled at finding a fact and distorting it for their agenda. For this new talking point, they have twisted an April 2006 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The report overall is supportive of biotechnology, but the activists found part of one paragraph they could exploit. Here's the quote they like to cite:

"Currently available (genetically engineered) crops do not increase the yield potential of a hybrid variety. In fact, yield may even decrease if the varieties used to carry the herbicide-tolerant or insect-resistant genes are not the highest yielding cultivars."

They ignore the rest of the paragraph, which states: "However, by protecting the plant from certain pests, GE crops can prevent yield losses compared with non-GE hybrids, particularly when pest infestation is high."

The point is that biotechnology helps prevent yield loss to ensure that corn hybrids and soybean varieties produce to their full potential.

It is true that no current biotech seed contains a "yield" gene as such, but there is no question that the improved weed control and insect protection do a better job of protecting yields than other forms of pest control.

On my own farm, we used to get at best 80- to 100-bushel corn crops before the advent of herbicide-tolerant corn. Today, we're averaging 130 to 160 bushels. This is a direct result of the ability to plant early because of assured weed control and the ability to no-till, which preserves soil moisture.

A new study by the European Commission's Joint Research Center found that Spanish farmers who planted insect-protected biotech corn had up to 11.8 percent higher yields than farmers who protected their crop with insecticide sprays.

A 2006 study by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy found that biotech crops planted in 2005 helped increase food production by 8.3 billion pounds and reduced pesticide usage by 69.7 million pounds.

The first decade of biotech development has succeeded in protecting yield potential. The biotech pipeline will continue that trend, but in addition, new traits will actually increase yield potential.

These advancements in technology at the molecular level are enabling genetic scientists to exploit untapped yield potential within seeds in ways that were not possible through conventional breeding techniques. It is one of the reasons that Monsanto feels that its goal of doubling crop yields by 2030 is attainable.

New developments in biotechnology, especially drought tolerance - expected by 2013 - will further increase the yield potential of the world's crop acreage. The continued development of new technologies is the best hope farmers and the public have of meeting the incredible growing demand for food, feed, fiber and biofuels in the coming decades.

While naysayers continue to twist facts and stick their heads in the sand, farmers are putting biotech seeds into the ground and producing higher yields for all.