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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Bt sweet corn

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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Bt sweet corn
  • Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:47:50 -0500


On Jan 25, 2010, at 10:34 AM, prmsdlndfrm AT aol.com wrote:



Ive asked about bt sweet corn on other sites and was crucified, but not many of them were realy growing for thier livlihood. But you all seem to be more open minded. I love to grow sweet corn, its always a good seller, but its a constant battle with ear worms. Todays customer will not tolerate anything like that, If you cut the ends off and that end browns they wont buy that either. What is you alls opinion on bt corn.
 

If any of your neighbors are growing organic corn, please talk to them before planting. Depending on the distance and their certification agency, your growing GMO corn may make it impossible for them to grow organic corn. 

The more BT corn is grown, the sooner the earworms are likely to become resistant to BT in general. I don't know whether this resistance is already occuring; you might look into that -- I would think that extension agents in your county should be able to tell you whether there's resistance in your area. Once the resistance develops, the BT corn won't work anyway. Resistance will develop faster if the BT is built into the corn than if you just apply it with, for instance, a Zea-later, because the BT is continuously present when it's built into the genetics.

I agree that, if you do decide to grow it, you should label it for your customers; and that labeling it as "unsprayed" (which I note you didn't say you were going to do) would be misleading: there's more pesticide present in genetically BT corn than there would be if you applied it with a sprayer, not less.

Have you tried a Zea-later, by the way?




-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale




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