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  • From: Carl DuPoldt <cdupoldt@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] permaculture Digest - New Study
  • Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2010 18:28:16 -0700 (PDT)


http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2010/101007.htm
 
New Study Shows Benefits of Bt Corn to Farmers
By Jan Suszkiw
October 7, 2010
WASHINGTON—A group of agricultural scientists reported in today's issue of
the journal Science that corn that has been genetically engineered to produce
insect-killing proteins isolated from the soil bacterium Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) provides significant economic benefits even to neighboring
farmers who grow non-transgenic varieties of corn.
"Modern agricultural science is playing a critical role in addressing many of
the toughest issues facing American agriculture today, including pest
management and productivity," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "This
study provides important information about the benefits of biotechnology by
directly examining how area-wide suppression of corn borers using Bt corn can
improve yield and grain quality even of non-Bt varieties."
The researchers estimate that farmers in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska
and Wisconsin received cumulative economic benefits of nearly $7 billion
between 1996-2009, with benefits of more than $4 billion for non-Bt corn
farmers alone. The scientists estimated that in Minnesota, Illinois and
Wisconsin, borer populations in adjacent non-Bt fields declined by 28 to 73
percent, with similar reductions recorded in Iowa and Nebraska.
The researchers attribute the collateral benefits enjoyed by non-Bt farmers
to areawide suppression of corn borers stemming from long-term plantings of
Bt-protected crops. Potato, green bean and other host crops also stand to
benefit from areawide reductions of corn borers, the researchers note. The
team's Science report also highlights the importance of the use of refuge
crops—the planting of non-Bt crops adjacent to fields of Bt crops, providing
a refuge to which the pests can retreat—and other strategies to slow the corn
borer's ability to develop resistance to Bt and thus maintain the
insecticidal proteins' long-term effectiveness.
The Bt proteins provide the plant with a built-in defense against attacks by
the larvae of European corn borers and other insect pests. Larvae that ingest
the protein soon stop feeding and die, typically within 48 hours. In addition
to reducing the use of insecticides that also can endanger beneficial
insects, the Bt defense strategy helps prevent harmful molds from gaining
entry to the plants via wound sites from borer feeding. Some of these molds,
like Fusarium, produce mycotoxins that can diminish the value and safety of
the crop's kernels.
Bt corn debuted in 1996, and by 2009 was planted on nearly 55 million acres
in the United States, accounting for nearly 63 percent of the total U.S. corn
crop of 87 million acres. But no research groups had previously investigated
the long-term impact of such plantings on corn borer populations on a
regional scale, nor had there been any assessment of whether the use of the
crop provided any sort of collateral benefit to adjacent or nearby fields of
non-Bt crops.

The team was led by William Hutchison of the University of Minnesota and
included Rick Hellmich, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist
at the Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit operated at Ames, Iowa,
by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). ARS is USDA's principal
intramural scientific research agency. The team gathered 14 years' worth of
corn borer population data from Bt corn plantings and combined it with
national corn production figures, including yields, prices and acreage
planted.

In addition to ARS and the University of Minnesota, study participants
included researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison,
Pennsylvania State University at State College, the University of Illinois at
Urbana, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Iowa State University at
Nashua, and industry researchers, among others.
New Study Shows Benefits of Bt Corn to Farmers
By Jan Suszkiw
October 7, 2010
WASHINGTON—A group of agricultural scientists reported in today's issue of
the journal Science that corn that has been genetically engineered to produce
insect-killing proteins isolated from the soil bacterium Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) provides significant economic benefits even to neighboring
farmers who grow non-transgenic varieties of corn.
"Modern agricultural science is playing a critical role in addressing many of
the toughest issues facing American agriculture today, including pest
management and productivity," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "This
study provides important information about the benefits of biotechnology by
directly examining how area-wide suppression of corn borers using Bt corn can
improve yield and grain quality even of non-Bt varieties."
The researchers estimate that farmers in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska
and Wisconsin received cumulative economic benefits of nearly $7 billion
between 1996-2009, with benefits of more than $4 billion for non-Bt corn
farmers alone. The scientists estimated that in Minnesota, Illinois and
Wisconsin, borer populations in adjacent non-Bt fields declined by 28 to 73
percent, with similar reductions recorded in Iowa and Nebraska.
The researchers attribute the collateral benefits enjoyed by non-Bt farmers
to areawide suppression of corn borers stemming from long-term plantings of
Bt-protected crops. Potato, green bean and other host crops also stand to
benefit from areawide reductions of corn borers, the researchers note. The
team's Science report also highlights the importance of the use of refuge
crops—the planting of non-Bt crops adjacent to fields of Bt crops, providing
a refuge to which the pests can retreat—and other strategies to slow the corn
borer's ability to develop resistance to Bt and thus maintain the
insecticidal proteins' long-term effectiveness.
The Bt proteins provide the plant with a built-in defense against attacks by
the larvae of European corn borers and other insect pests. Larvae that ingest
the protein soon stop feeding and die, typically within 48 hours. In addition
to reducing the use of insecticides that also can endanger beneficial
insects, the Bt defense strategy helps prevent harmful molds from gaining
entry to the plants via wound sites from borer feeding. Some of these molds,
like Fusarium, produce mycotoxins that can diminish the value and safety of
the crop's kernels.
Bt corn debuted in 1996, and by 2009 was planted on nearly 55 million acres
in the United States, accounting for nearly 63 percent of the total U.S. corn
crop of 87 million acres. But no research groups had previously investigated
the long-term impact of such plantings on corn borer populations on a
regional scale, nor had there been any assessment of whether the use of the
crop provided any sort of collateral benefit to adjacent or nearby fields of
non-Bt crops.

The team was led by William Hutchison of the University of Minnesota and
included Rick Hellmich, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist
at the Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit operated at Ames, Iowa,
by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). ARS is USDA's principal
intramural scientific research agency. The team gathered 14 years' worth of
corn borer population data from Bt corn plantings and combined it with
national corn production figures, including yields, prices and acreage
planted.

In addition to ARS and the University of Minnesota, study participants
included researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison,
Pennsylvania State University at State College, the University of Illinois at
Urbana, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Iowa State University at
Nashua, and industry researchers, among others.



>From admin@pri-de.org Sun Oct 24 21:30:19 2010
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From: Killian O'Brien <admin@pri-de.org>
To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2010 21:30:14 -0400
Thread-Topic: [permaculture] official certification
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Subject: Re: [permaculture] official certification
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Paul,

I'm writing a longer response to Toby, but have to carve a Jack-o-Lantern
with my little boy. Suffice to say, I am. Or am trying. And, there's no one
approach, more like a strong emphasis. I don't think Toby or Cory are wrong
to focus where they say we should, but perhaps looking at things from within
the perspective of the era they have grown up with? That there are going to
be very large disruptions is, to me, no longer in doubt. If the republicans
gain the Congress, it will be virtually assured because time is so short.
Thus, the correct tack is away from the power structures for their ability to
create change in chaotic times will be virtually nil. But, there should be
people working in those arenas now just in case.

I've been wrong before, just not about The Perfect Storm. So far...

Cheers,

Killian O'Brien
PRI-De
admin@pri-de.org
(313) 647-4015

killiankob@yahoo.com
(760) 617-4693


-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of paul wheaton
Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2010 5:53 PM
To: permaculture
Subject: Re: [permaculture] official certification

I think, Killian, you should take on the task of getting the
permaculture word to those folks that you see as unable to afford the
work that others are providing.

If everybody spreads the word according to the ways that they are
comfortable with, it should reach a lot of people.
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  • [permaculture] permaculture Digest - New Study, Carl DuPoldt, 10/24/2010

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