GMO crops became a news item in southwest Iowa in 1996 when Greanpeace demonstrators damaged a research plot near Atlantic, Iowa. Things were relatively quiet for a while, then Archer Daniels Midland made an announcement that resulted in an April 28, 1999 GMO concerns clarification meeting. Handling GMO grain during and after harvest was addressed at a September 15, 1999 meeting. Assessing risks and seeking opportunities was the subject of a February 24, 2000 program.

Since the fall of 2000, the GMO marketing spotlight has been on Starlink corn, a product registered by Aventis. The Iowa Grain Quality Initiative has once again brought the resources of your Iowa State University to bear on questions related to grain quality. The Starlink Situation (616K pdf) is a comprehensive explanation authored by Neil Harl, Roger Ginder, Charles Hurburgh, and Steve Moline. It is just one of many on the Starlink issue page.

The Yahoo Genetically Modified Food News page can help you to keep abreast of the issue in the media.

Papers on the issue by Iowa State University faculty include:

• The GMO Controversy and Grain Handling for 2000 by Charles Hurburgh, December 22, 1999
• Evolution of the Demand for Non-GMO Corn and Soybeans by Robert Wisner, September 15, 1999
• GMO Labelling: Effects on Core Business Objectives in the Grain Value Chain by Roger Ginder, December 11, 1999
• Acceptability in Commercial Channels of GMO Hybrids by Neil Harl, April 16, 1999
• Further Discussion regarding the Acceptability in Commercial Channels of GMO Hybrids by Neal Harl, April 29, 1999
• GMOs in Europe: A Genetically Modified Ordeal? Iowa Ag Review, Summer 1999 issue, Vol. 5, No. 3, by Giancarlo Moschini and Jay Corrigan, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development July 28, 1999
• Genetically Modified Crops: Guidelines for Producers, Dr. Neil Harl