GMO's. Friend or Foe?

The controversy over transgenic crops is mounting. Baby food companies have refused to buy genetically engineered crops, and other buyers are offering premium prices for non-GMO growers. What's it all about and will it change the future of farming?

GMO's, or genetically manipulated organisms, include crops such as Roundup Ready corn and soybeans. In these crops, the genetic makeup of the seeds has been altered to produce herbicide-resistant plants. As the plants mature, farmers can spray the fields with Roundup, a commercial weed killer, without damage to their crop. Fewer weeds make for easier harvesting and better sale prices. Usually.

Some farmers are now feeling squeezed between the production benefits of genetically altered crops and a public that's rejecting the science. USDA's Economic Research Service recently compiled a preliminary report on the benefits of genetically altered crops. Fueled by European bans on U.S-imported beef, other consumer groups are generating reports just as quickly, feeding on the public's fear of a dangerous food supply.

According to USDA's Economic Research Service, U.S. farmland planted with genetically engineered crops has increased from about 8 million acres in 1996 to more than 50 million acres in 1998, in major states where data have been collected. In a speech to the National Press Club, Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman said that nearly half the soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically engineered to resist certain pesticides.

Glickman went on to say that biotechnology can help us solve some of the most vexing environmental problems: It could reduce pesticide use, increase yields, improve nutritional content, and use less water. So why are people afraid of this new technology?

By and large, the American people have trust and confidence in the food safety efforts of USDA, the FDA, EPA, CDC and others because these agencies are competent and independent from the industries they regulate. The same doesn't hold true for European consumers. Glickman said their distrust comes in part from the lack of faith in the EU to assure the safety of their food. They have no independent regulatory agencies like the FDA, USDA or EPA. They've had many food scares in recent years -- mad-cow disease, and, recently, dioxin-tainted chicken -- that have contributed to their wariness.

So far, American consumers haven't been spooked by the GMO debate. While some farmers have received higher prices for their non-GMO crops, major agricultural companies like Mycogen, Novartis and Pioneer don't expect major changes in 2000.

Science will march forward, Glickman said, and especially in agriculture, that

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