GMO--Questions and Answers

1999 Estimate

Corn------35-75% of production in GMO*

Soybean---65-70% of production is GMO

*The significant increase in corn production, relative to planted acres, is due to the potential for cross pollination, or seed contamination.

Source: Dr. Robert N. Wisner, University Professor and Extension Economist, Dept. of Economics, Iowa State University

Extent of Bt and herbicide-tolerant seed technologies used in corn, soybean, and cotton production, by region, 1996-1998

	1996		1997		1998
Technology/Region	Acreage	Production	Acreage	Production	Acreage	Production
Bt corn
All surveyed states	1.4	1.5	7.6	7.8	19.1	20.7
Heartland	1.5	1.6	8.1	8	19.4	20.3
Northern Crescent	id	id	id	id	16.2	18.3
Prairie Gateway	id	id	id	id	19.2	23.7
Herbicide-tolerant corn2
All surveyed states	3	3.1	4.3	3.9	18.4	19.4
Heartland	2.8	2.8	4.8	4.3	19.7	20.6
Northern Crescent	id	id	id	id	9.5	11.6
Prairie Gateway	id	id	id	id	18.3	16.7
Herbicide-tolerant soybeans
All surveyed states	7.4	7.2	17	17.5	44.2	44.8
Heartland	6.9	2.8	14.7	16.1	44.3	45.1
Mississippi Portal	9.8	10.1	30.8	29.2	46.6	45.5
Northern Crescent	id	id	15.2	14.8	27.5	28
Prairie Gateway	id	id	17.5	20.2	59.2	64.4
Southern Seaboard	id	id	17.3	19.1	72	76.3
Eastern Uplands	id	id	id	id	59	57.4
Bt cotton
All surveyed states	14.6	19	15	18.3	16.8	23.5
Mississippi Portal	23.8	25.3	23.1	23.3	34.8	38
Southern Seaboard	id	id	21.5	24.7	18.2	18.2
Fruitful Rim	id	id	22.2	22.9	18.9	22.7
Herbicide-tolerant cotton
All surveyed states	id	id	10.5	11.1	26.2	29.3
Mississippi Portal	id	id	16.9	16.2	24.5	23
Southern Seaboard	id	id	16.1	14.5	28.1	31.7
Prairie Gateway	id	id	id	id	34.2	56.9

¹ 1998 estimates for corn and cotton include acreage and production with stacked varieties (with Bt and herbicide-tolerant genes).
² Includes seed obtained by traditional breeding but developed using biotechnology techniques that helped to identify the herbicide-tolerant genes.
id=insufficient data for a statistically reliable estimate
Source: USDA