Biotech
General Information
What is Biotechnology?
The South Dakota Corn Utilization Council (SDCUC) and The South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA) believe biotechnology is an important tool for agriculture but also recognize that using biotechnology involves many individual decisions. Biotechnology must be well managed, with clear, practical rules.
South Dakota - A Biotech Corn Leader
South Dakota is a national leader in the production of corn -- and particularly of biotech corn. The 12,000 producers throughout the state harvested 3.9 million bushels of corn in 2005, making South Dakota the 6th largest producer of corn in the entire nation.
With South Dakota leading the nation in adopting biotechnology, SDCGA has lobbied the state legislature for friendly bio-technology language into state legislation while ensuring that government agencies who regulate biotechnology not to permit the sale of new varieties of biotech corn seed unless they are determined to be safe and are approved for all uses – livestock feeding, industrial products and human food.
The Corn Utilization Council assumes the responsibility to clear the way for continued growth in this ever-changing landscape. Through quality education and research we’re focused on keeping South Dakota crop farmers informed on pressing issues as we strive to find new markets in which to participate and profit.
Biotechnology is…
Biotechnology is a scientific method for improving or modifying a plant’s genetic structure. It is a tool that can provide benefits to farmers, consumers and the environment. Farmers have used genetic modification for centuries. But in the past, genetically modifying a plant involved many generations of crossbreeding and hybridization. Virtually every crop grown commercially for food or fiber is a product of this genetic modification process. The drawback of this method is that it allows genes of unknown function to move into our crops along with the desired genes.
What is Bt Corn?
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterium that occurs naturally in soil, has been used by farmers since the 1930s to kill certain insects. It has no effect on humans, animals or other non-target species. Several of the proteins the Bt bacterium produces are lethal to the European corn borer, a common pest that costs the United States an estimated $1.2 billion in crop damage each year. Corn that has been modified to include Bt helps farmers and the environment by reducing the need to spray pesticides on the crop. Target species for Bt are: European corn borer, Southwest corn borer, black cutworm, armyworm and corn rootworm.
Plant-made Pharmaceuticals
Plant-made pharmaceuticals (PMPs) result from the application of biotechnology to plants to enable them to produce therapeutic proteins that could ultimately be used by the medical community to combat life-threatening illnesses. In this process, plants become "factories" that manufacture therapeutic proteins. These proteins are then extracted, refined and used in pharmaceutical production.
South Dakota Biotechnology
South Dakota crop farmers rank among the highest biotech corn producers in the nation.
The Corn Utilization Council assumes the responsibility to clear the way for continued growth in this ever changing landscape. Through quality education and research we’re focused on keeping South Dakota crop farmer’s informed on pressing issues as we strive to find new markets in which to participate and profit.
South Dakota is a national leader in the production of corn -- and particularly of biotech corn. The 14,500 producers throughout the state harvested 430 million bushels of corn in 2003, making South Dakota the 6th largest producer of corn in the entire nation.
Nationwide, 40% of the corn produced is biotech:
US Biotech Corn Production - 2000-2003 |
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| Variety | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| Insect Resistant (Bt) | 18% | 18% | 22% | 25% |
| Herbicide Resistant | 6% | 7% | 9% | 11% |
| Stacked Trait | 1% | 1% | 2% | 4% |
| Total Biotech | 25% | 26% | 33% | 40% |
| Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Acreage Report, June 30, 2003 | ||||
In South Dakota, however, 75% of all corn produced is biotech corn. That's a greater percentage than any other state.
US Biotech Corn Production By State |
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| State | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| Illinois | 17% | 16% | 22% | 28% |
| Indiana | 11% | 12% | 13% | 16% |
| Iowa | 30% | 32% | 41% | 45% |
| Kansas | 33% | 38% | 43% | 47% |
| Michigan | 12% | 17% | 22% | 35% |
| Minnesota | 37% | 36% | 44% | 53% |
| Missouri | 28% | 32% | 34% | 42% |
| Nebraska | 34% | 34% | 46% | 52% |
| Ohio | 9% | 11% | 9% | 9% |
| South Dakota | 48% | 47% | 66% | 75% |
| Wisconsin | 18% | 18% | 26% | 32% |
| Other | 17% | 20% | 27% | 36% |
| Total US | 25% | 26% | 34% | 40% |
| Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Acreage Report, June 30, 2003 | ||||
South Dakota has readily adopted the production of biotech corn. While the production of insect-protected corn has stayed about the same, South Dakota has increased the amount of herbicide tolerant corn and stacked trait corn:
Biotech corn also produces greater yields than non-biotech. These yields continue to increase:
