permaculture

[Carl DuPoldt <cdupoldt@yahoo.com>]

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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