Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
7/24/00
Contacts:
Paul Lasley, Extension Sociology, (515) 294-0937, plasley@iastate.edu
Del Marks, Extension Communication Systems, (515) 294-9807,
delmarks@iastate.edu
Farmers Say Biotechnology Will Reduce Dependency on Ag Chemicals
AMES, Iowa -- Iowa farmers have mixed views about the benefits and costs of using biotechnology methods to improve farm production, but a majority (56 percent) say the new methods will reduce dependency on agricultural chemicals.
A greater concern, according to 85 percent of the respondents in the 2000 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, is the increasing concentration of the nation's food supply in the hands of a few large firms. Paul Lasley, Iowa State University extension rural sociologist who directs the poll, said the survey results indicate concern with the domination of big businesses in the biotechnology arena. "Throughout the farm population are growing concerns about the structure and competitiveness of the marketplace that has become dominated by a few large firms," Lasley said.
Fifty-one percent of the farmers responding to the poll indicated that genetically modified corn is no different than corn produced by more traditional crop breeding methods. Only 19 percent say they would not eat meat products that they knew were produced through genetic modification.
Farmers generally gave moderate to high marks to soybeans modified to be resistant to herbicides and corn modified to be resistant to insects. Lasley said 54 percent of the respondents planted herbicide-tolerant soybeans in 1999, and 42 percent planted insect-tolerant corn.
In general, according to the survey, yields and profits with the modified crops compared favorably to conventional varieties, with 24 percent saying the soybean yields were higher and 56 percent saying there was no difference between the modified and conventional crops. Sixty-one percent said the modified soybeans resulted in lower crop expenses, and 47 percent said they resulted in higher profit. Eighty-seven percent of the producers of herbicide-tolerant soybeans said they had no problems selling their soybeans.
Farmers said their experience with corn modified to be insect resistant resulted in higher yields nearly half the time (48 percent) and no change for 46 percent. The big benefit was in reduced expenses per acre, reported by 76 percent, and reduced pest damage per acre, reported by 65 percent. Views were mixed on whether the genetically modified corn increased profits, with 25 percent saying profits were lower, 40 percent saying about the same, and 35 percent saying they were higher. Seventy-one percent said they had no problem selling genetically modified corn, another 14 percent had not sold the corn at the time the survey was conducted, and 15 percent plan to feed it to their own livestock.
Summing up the view of many poll respondents, a Sioux County farmer wrote, "we need to educate the public on food safety. (Genetically modified) corn kills pests naturally. Isn't that better than spraying entire fields with chemicals?"
"Because of the controversies swirling about these new genetically modified crops, we wanted to find out farmers' opinions about them, and their intentions about future use," Lasley said. While producers were generally satisfied with their experiences with these new products, there remain important questions about consumer acceptance in the marketplace.
The Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll is funded by ISU Extension and the Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. The purpose of the poll, conducted since 1982, is to ask farmers' views on a variety of rural and agricultural issues. A statewide random sample of 4,977 Iowa farm operators were sent mail questionnaires in February, with a 61 percent response rate, yielding a sample size of 3,049.
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