26 March 27, 2014 2014 LOGAN COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com
W
ith today’s research and technology
development, improved transportation
opportunities, and a global market more open to trade,
the American farmer has unprecedented choices and
opportunity in how and what crops to produce.
When it comes to crop and seed selection, the savviest
farmers not only consider locale, soil conditions, costs
and long-range schedule, but also factor against what
happened the year before and current market forecasts.
Crop figures
According to 2013 figures, the U.S. was the leading
exporter of corn, representing 33.8 percent, with 1,457
million bushels, followed by Brazil at 19.2 percent,
Ukraine at 16.5 percent and Argentina at 12.8 percent,
for a total of 82.3 percent of the global market.
Markets the U.S. exported corn to in order of most to
least: Japan, 270 million bushels; Mexico, 180 million
bushels; and China, 95 million bushels. Other markets
taking U.S. corn: Venezuela, Taiwan, Canada, South
Korea, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Jamaica and other nations.
Of the 95,365,000 acres of corn planted in the U.S. in
2013, 90 percent were in biotech seed. Of this figure,
67,709,000 acres, or 71 percent, were planted in
stacked traits, 14 percent in herbicide-tolerant and 5
percent in insect-resistant traits.
The same as corn, more than 90 percent of U.S.
soybeans are raised with seeds enhanced through
biotechnology.
Only 10 percent of corn and soybeans brought to
market today are not genetically modified. Farmers
opting to enter the non-GM niche market may be paid
a premium to offset the extra handling costs.
Exports
The expanded export markets, which have increased
U.S. agricultural product movement, have been a
mutual benefit to other countries and to the global
economy. However, what could hurt everyone would
be if U.S. biotech products would continue to show
up in foreign markets where they have not yet been
approved.
Several months ago China began regularly testing its
imports and has been finding an unapproved corn trait
(MIR162) that came out in the U.S. last year. As of
February, China had rejected more than 661,000 tons
of Viptera-tainted corn. Viptera is engineered to fight
corn rootworm and has been awaiting Beijing approval
for two years.
Now, in 2014, its sister product, Duracade, also not
approved by China, is entering the U.S. commercial
market.
The National Grain and Feed Association, North
American Export Grain Association, and other trade
and export industry leaders have expressed strong
concerns about the unapproved products that have
been found in U.S. exports.
The NAEGA and NGFA are calling on all levels
of the ag industry to respond to its stewardship
responsibilities: “Within the U.S. grain and oilseed
handling and marketing system, each purchaser or
handler makes its own determination as to whether to
Are GM seeds hurting the market?
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