Can Technology Save Us?An Agricultural Assessment

By: John Fleischmann Curtis Higgs

What is Biotechnology

What is Biotechnology

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 Agriculture

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

Conclusion

GMOs show the relationship between government, introduction of technologies, and perceptions of farmers

Government has strong influence over introduction of agricultural technologies

Dissemination of new ideas is most difficult when only pushing the sustainable agenda