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What is Biotechnology
Definition-the manipulation of living organisms or their components to produce useful usually commercial products
Biotechnology has been used for thousands of years in baking, brewing, and making certain cheeses
What is Biotechnology
First biotech crop was the flavr savr tomato which was sold in 1994
The first big ag biotech products were bt corn and round up ready soybeans
These products changed the way many US farms look at field crop production
What is Sustainable AgricultureSatisfy food and fiber needs
Enhance environmental quality and natural resource base
Make the most out of environmental resources
Be economically viable
Enhance the quality of life for the farmer and society as a whole.
What is Sustainable AgricultureOne of the primary factors, is by using crop
rotations such as corn, soybean, wheat, and forage crops
Replacing synthetic fertilizers with animal or green manures
Replacing chemical pesticides with intergraded pest management and mechanical weed control
Current Biotechnology ProductsHerbicide Resistant Crops
-Round up Ready
-LibertyLink
Insect Resistant Crops
-Rootworm resistance
-Corn borer resistance
Biotechnology and Sustainability
Biotechnology
Sustainable Agriculture
Current Biotechnology Products
Future Biotechnology products
Herbicide Resistant CropsRound up Ready Crops
Introduced in 1996 with the introduction of Round up Ready Soybeans
Round up is a non-selective herbicide that when sprayed on Round up Ready Crops will kill the weeds but not the crop
Herbicide Resistant CropsBenefits of Round up Ready Crops
-Round up pushed to a more post application of herbicides, which lowered the rates of soil applied herbicides
-Round up has little to no mammalian toxicity, almost no residual, and is unlikely to move into the water supply
Herbicide Resistant CropsThe use of
Round up Ready crops has also led to an increase in no-till acres
Herbicide Resistant CropsLibertyLink crops were Bayer’s answer to
Round up Ready crops.
Used the herbicide glufosinate, but has never caught on to the degree of which Round up Ready crops have in the agriculture market
Insect Resistant Crops
Bt Corn was first introduced in the mid-1990’s
Offered protection against rootworm and corn borer, which are pests that are damaging to corn.
Bt, or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a pesticide produced by a bacterium that was used for many years as a foliar application
Insect Resistant crops
Bt corn offered an insecticide built in to the crop.
This has led to reduce amounts of soil applied insecticide
To help stop resistance, 20% refuge must be planted in place of a transgenic variety
Potential Biotechnology Products
Nutrient rich grain-enhanced grain quality
Nutrient efficient crops-make better use of costly synthetic fertilizers
Nutrient Enriched Grain
This would be grain that has had levels of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients
Could make better and more efficient livestock feed as well as
Could be used to cure deficiencies in developing nations
Nutrient Enriched Grain
The one example that has been produced in the real world is golden rice
This is a variety of rice that was enhanced to have higher levels of vitamin A.
Vitamin A deficiency is the cause of 2 millions deaths and 500,000 new cases of blindness every year
Nutrient Enhance Grain
One of the down sides is the appearance of the rice. This created problems of getting some people to eat the rice and not gain the benefits of nutrient enhancement
Nutrient Use Efficiency CropsSynthetic fertilizers are one of the most
expensive inputs that go into crop production
These fertilizers also can have a negative effect on the environment cause by the leaching of nitrates
Nutrient Use Efficiency CropsThese crops would be designed to make
the most out of every unit of fertilizer
The FAO reported in 1998 that, there were 133lb/A of N.
With NUE, the crops could need anywhere from 25-50% less N than normal crops
Nutrient Use Efficiency CropsThis means that there could be 65-100
lbs/a of N
At a price of $650/ton for N fertilizer, this could save the producer anywhere from $11-$22/A on fertilizer cost
General Outline
Government and GMOsOversightRestrictions
Introduction of TechnologiesCorporationsPower Struggles
Perceptions and AttitudesAdoption RatesStewardship
Why GMOsThere are many different forms of agricultural technology:
MachineryPesticidesHerbicidesGMOs
Fairly new technology (last 20 years)GMOs offer best benchmark for GMOsEncompass all aspects of agriculture
Oversight
The government has main control over flow of new technologies
Control of GMOs in United States vs. the European Union
GMOs
Control of GMOs has evoked broad public concerns
Low confidence of consumers in the regulatory bodies to control GMOs
Concerns expressed over the possible potential of the new recombinant-DNA technology to transfer genes across species barriers
Many proponents cite increased yields and lowered pesticide use
GMOs Bt corn was developed with the Cry1Ab gene which
conferred resistance to the corn borer and the roID gene in tomatoes increased yield and pathogen resistance.
United States established an overarching committee (Office of Science and Technology Policy) to study and distribute various regulatory responsibilities amongst relevant agencies: the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Agriculture.
United States forges ahead with new research and uses for GMOs
New stacked traits offer a variety of different protections
GMOs
European Union issues complete moratorium on the use of GMOs (1999)
Does not discontinue GMO seeds made allowed before the moratorium
Nor does it prevent new authorizations or ban experimental releases
Moratorium was de facto effective since a sufficient number of nation-states opposed any new authorizations pending a revision of the legislation.
EU now requires all foods with GM foods to be labeled
Introduction of Technologies
New Technologies include sensors, information systems, enhanced machinery, informed management, advanced seeds, and chemicals
Most technologies aim to optimize production by accounting for variability and uncertainties within agricultural systems
Introduction of Technologies The 1998 USDA and Leopold Study
Interviewed 800 farmers 40% of farmers planted GM soybeansNo connection between size of farm and amount
of GM cropsReasons for Planting
○ 53% of the farmers cited increasing yields through improved pest control.
○ 27% listed decreasing pesticide costs, ○ 12% cited increased flexibility in planting○ 3% listed adoption of a more environmentally-
friendly practice
Introduction of Technologies
Returns estimated using the 1998 yearly average price of $5.27 per bushel. Returns to land and labor were essentially identical for GMO and non-GMO soybeans. GMO soybeans had a return of $144.50 per acre versus a return of $145.75 for non-GMO soybeans.
Farmers who used GMO varities expierenced significant savings in herbicide costs, spending nearly 30% less
Seed costs were higher for GM farmers GM soybeans had slightly lower yield (51.21 vs. 49.26
bushels)
Introduction of Technologies
Switch to GMOs from hybrid seedsCompanies maximized profits by making sure
farmers bought seed every year instead of saving Rise of multi-national companies
Develop patents to provide the means of legal control over seeds needed to increase profits
Guaranteed monopoly rights over seeds
Introduction of Technologies
Effects of Introducing new technologies and standardization of growing practicesReduces heterogeneityLowers knowledge baseNarrows profit marginsCorporate interests advise more purchases of
expensive technologies and inputs.
Perceptions and Attitudes
Perceptions and attitudes of farmers is critical to adoption of new technologies
Important to look at the United States but also at the rest of the world
Perceptions and Attitudes
Study by Doohan in 2010
Interviwed farmers and scholars on weed management
Conventional farmers saw great risk and little benefit in preventative measures for weeds control
Thorough two-way communication and a deeper understanding of farmer belief systems the development of audience-specific outreach programs with an enhanced probability of affecting better weed management decisions will be better facilitated
Perceptions and Attitudes
Hard to disseminate new technology from proven universities
Easier to change growing habits of the farmer through sales and persuasion of a larger profit margin
Gap between researchers and farmers
Extensions and meetings help to increase awareness of stewardship
Perceptions and Attitudes
In a study by Mondal (2008) it was found that the implications of dramatic shifts towards more technological agriculture in some developing countries are immense
In a case study by Woodhouse (2008) studying the dissemination of agricultural technology in Africa it was found that one difficulty with such a framework is that ‘placing agriculture at the center of the development agenda’ for ‘agriculture-based’ sub-Saharan Africa effects a disconnection of agriculture from urban Africa, and the flows of labor, capital, and agricultural products between ‘rural’ and ‘urban’ parts of the economy
Perceptions and Attitudes
It was found that a mixture of both soft and hard techniques were needed to promote the idea of agriculture in some Indian communities. Soft technology was described as basic measuring and data keeping and hard technology involved applications of compounds to control pests, and the use of heavy and expensive equipment.
Perceptions and Attitudes
United States is not too unlike developing countries to find similarities
Introduction of technology has created a gap between rural and urban consumers
Farmers have better connections to producers of technology than the researchers testing it