Biotechnology: Sustainable, Safe and Necessary

Spring is coming…we think anyways, and with spring comes another planting season where farmers will start growing the next crop to continue meeting demands for food, feed, fuel and fiber in a world that is growing by 200,000 people per day.

A lot factors in to growing a quality crop: temperature, precipitation, soil conditions and seed biotechnology.

Biotechnology is simply the genetic enhancement of agriculture and is possibly one of the oldest human activities. Decades of documented evidence show that agriculture biotechnology is a safe and beneficial technology that contributes to both environmental and economic sustainability. Biotechnology crops have done everything from providing better nutrition, resistance to pest and crop disease and drought tolerance with future plans of flood tolerate crops.

Most importantly, biotechnology has enabled farmers to double their corn yields in the last 20 years. Biotechnology has also allowed farmers to use less energy and land while releasing less green house gas emissions.

Land use per bushel of corn is down 37%

Energy use per bushel has decreased 37%

Greenhouse gas emissions have decreased 30%

Biotechnology has also allowed for an increase in the practice of no-till farming allowing left-over crop mulch to cover the ground between growing seasons protecting the soil, decreasing runoff and erosion.

With the world expected to grow by 2.5 billion people by the year 2050, biotechnology will continue to be a necessary tool in order for farmers to increase productivity, maintain environmental sustainability and to continue meeting global food demands.