Monsanto intends to market drought-resistant corn by '12
[url]http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090111/BUSINESS/901110324/1029/BUSINESS[/url]
Monsanto said last week it's seeking regulatory approval of drought-tolerant corn, a crop that will mark a major milestone in agricultural biotechnology.
Farmers won't be planting the seeds for a while, however. Monsanto officials said they hope to have the corn on the market in 2012, depending on how long it takes to get all the necessary approvals. Monsanto has filed with the Food and Drug Administration for clearance of the corn but also needs approval from foreign countries so the grain can be sold into export.
Monsanto said yields in field trials met or exceeded its targeted increase of 6 percent to 10 percent - about seven to 10 bushels an acre - in the western Plains.
Pioneer Hi-Bred has a conventional drought-tolerant corn in development it hopes to launch in 2010 or 2011. A transgenic version is said to be five to seven years from reaching market. A Pioneer spokesman said corn has shown a 14 percent improvement in yields in testing so far.
Introduction of drought-resistant corn could shake up the global debate about biotechnology amid worries about the impact of a warming climate. Genetically engineered crops now on the market are either immune to Roundup herbicide or resistant to insects.
- Philip Brasher
Federal officials to look at soybean checkoff
The American Soybean Association said it has been told by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that Secretary Ed Schafer has asked the Office of Inspector General to investigate the National Soybean checkoff program.
The association asked for the investigation last month, alleging financial and legal mismanagement of checkoff funds that exceed $100 million annually and are spent on research, promotion and exports.
"(The association) is doing what is in the best interest of soybean farmers ethically, legally and financially," said association President Johnny Dodson, a soybean producer from Halls, Tenn.
The investigation wasn't much of a surprise. What is unusual is the news that the state soybean associations in Minnesota, Missouri and Mississippi have broken away to form the U.S. Soy Association. In a statement, the Iowa Soybean Association noted that it was not asked to participate in the new group, which will lobby in Washington, D.C.
"The last thing we need is another soybean group," said Iowa Soybean Association Don Heisdorffer of Keota. "We need to work together, not further divide our efforts."
- Dan Piller
Facts about subsidies and million-dollar farms
Farms with sales of more than $1 million a year account for most government subsidies. True or False?
Answer: False. According to a Department of Agriculture study, million-dollar farms accounted for 48 percent of agricultural sales in 2006 but received just 16 percent of federal subsidies. That's because relatively few of the million-dollar farms grow subsidized crops, the study found.
A few of the other findings about the 35,100 million-dollar farms:
- They account for 2 percent of all farms.
- They account for 62 percent of all contract production.
- 84 percent are family operations.
The study includes examples of what it takes to have $1 million in sales, based on 2005 figures. In Iowa, a farm with 1,120 acres of corn, 800 acres of soybeans and a feedlot with 400 cattle would have $1.1 million in revenue.
In California, a farm with 170 acres of lettuce, 125 acres of tomatoes, 120 acres of celery and 35 acres of strawberries would have reached the threshold. In Wisconsin, a dairy farm would have reached the mark with 400 cows.
- Philip Brasher |
