The NAS report did document that the reduction in weeds and insects had a positive yield impact—as many other studies have confirmed. Established in 1999, De Dell’s hybrids are elite high performing non-GMO corn hybrids selected for high yield, standability and health to provide you with the hybrids you need for your farm. Busting the anti-biotech movement's favorite myth, Daily Digest & Outbreak Coronavirus (Mon-Thu), Mission, Financial Transparency, Governorship, How COVID-19 resembles a sexually transmitted disease, The Goldilocks phenomenon: Why as many as 45% of patients get COVID and show no symptoms, COVID has amped up our cortisol stress response. No, vaccines are not harmful. The analysis of over 6,000 peer-reviewed studies covering 21 years of data found that GMO corn increased yields up to 25 percent and dramatically decreased dangerous food contaminants. Although commercial corn is screened for mycotoxin contamination and rejected if high enough levels are detected, much slips through to consumers. One way that they do this is through what are called meta-analyses, which sort through hundreds or thousands of studies to separate the signal from the noise and draw surer conclusions from scientific data. A 2015 review by PG Economics, an industry-focused consultant firm, found that GMO crops provided economic benefits of $133.4 billion from 1996 to 2013, with roughly half of the gains going to farmers in developing nations. Disaster interrupted: Which farming system better preserves insect populations: Organic or conventional? Right off the hop we can put money into your pocket! There are more micronutrients available in conventional feed for your livestock. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. He is an ... News on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox. The GLP featured this article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. This GLP project maps contributions by foundations to anti-biotech activists and compares it to pro-GMO industry spending. According to the Italian study, over 53 million hectares (~131 million acres) of genetically modified corn was cultivated in 2015, representing almost a third of the global area of planted corn. He has a Master’s in environmental journalism from the University of Colorado. Your IP: 142.93.197.14 While many studies show that genetically modified crops contribute to yield gains, GMO critics say that they don’t. Only a select group of products are tested. The, Viewpoint: 'Big Ag' owns scientists who endorse safety of GMOs? About 70 percent of the economic benefits were attributed to yield and production gains while the remaining 30 percent came from cost savings. Only a few types of GMO crops are grown in the United States, but some of these GMOs make up a large percentage of the crop grown (e.g., soybeans, corn, sugar beets, canola, and cotton).. While yield increases were more modest in developing nations where growing conditions are poorer, South Africa, which has been growing GMO corn since 2002, recorded an average yield increase of 24.6 percent. This is achieved by seed production practices, farmer production practices and marketing strategy. That’s exactly what a group of Italian researchers has done in a new meta-study that compared GMO corn with conventional varieties. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. Paul McDivitt is a science and environmental writer based in St. Paul, Minnesota. To inform the public about what’s really going on, we present the facts and challenge those who don't. Herbicide-tolerant corn is genetically engineered to confer resistance to the herbicide glyphosate, meaning that the crop is not affected by the herbicide but weeds are killed. The viewpoint is the author’s own. The meta-analysis also found “modest or no effect on the abundance of non-target insects, suggesting no substantial effect on insect community diversity.”. The Italian meta-analysis marks what could be a final chapter in an important facet of the ongoing debate over the use of GMOs in farming. Environmental Working Group: EWG challenges safety of GMOs, food pesticide residues, Michael Hansen: Architect of Consumers Union ongoing anti-GMO campaign, Stockholm syndrome revisited: As Sweden’s COVID rate flattens and masks disappear, experts ponder ‘no lockdown’ blueprint, What’s your 'ageotype'? This article or excerpt is included in the GLP’s daily curated selection of ideologically diverse news, opinion and analysis of biotechnology innovation. We and our partners share information on your use of this website to help improve your experience. That promise has proven to be empty.”. Mycotoxins remain a persistent health threat in the developing world. Classification system explains why some of us are older—or younger—than we look, Infographic: 5 different ways COVID vaccines work, Natural News conspiracy promoter Mike 'Health Ranger' Adams built online disinformation empire that subverts science, report finds. Established in 1999, De Dell’s hybrids are elite high performing non-GMO corn hybrids selected for high yield, standability and health to provide you with the hybrids you need for your farm. Grower bids for soybeans and corn was steady. 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As geneticist Anastasia Bodnar notes at Biofortified, the researchers used a particularly rigorous methodology for their meta-analysis, only including field studies and those that used a genetically similar corn strain as a comparison. • If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. Read in context, the NAS reaffirmed the obvious—no GMO crop has been engineered specifically to increase yields. Agriculture scientist says ‘belching bovines’ get too much blame. The two types of genetically engineered corn, for example, were not tweaked to increase yield, but rather to combat losses from weeds and insects. We are a family run business with consistent, proven, leading edge Non‑GMO hybrids offered at a fair price. Our interactive GLP global map explains the status of each country’s regulations for human and agricultural gene editing and gene drives. For corn… Recently, Italian researchers published a review of studies concluding planting genetically modified (GM) maize (corn) over the past 20 years has increased the agricultural yield of this popular and important staple food. Biotechnology timeline: Humans have manipulated genes since the 'dawn of civilization', Anti-vax conspiracy promoter Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. sues Facebook claiming fact-checking is censorship, Immunotherapy as a last resort for terminal cancer patients, GMO corn varieties increased crop yields 5.6 to 24.5 percent relative to their non-GMO equivalents. • This was achieved by incorporating genes from a soil bacterium into corn plants. Food safety systems are often not as rigorous in developing countries, resulting in significant human and animal exposure to their toxic and carcinogenic effects. Most recently, the argument that GMO crops do not result in yield increases received prominent attention after the publication of a 2016 article on the front page of the New York Times claimed that GMO crops had not increased yields relative to their non-GMO counterparts. Hakim was widely criticized by scientists for cherry-picking parts of the NAS report and other datasets to build a narrative that GMO crops don’t increase yields. Follow him on Twitter @PaulMcDivitt. Instead, they look at the results of many peer-reviewed scientific studies. For example, a 2014 meta-analysis by two Germans scientists of all GMO crops found, “On average, GM technology adoption has reduced chemical pesticide use by 37%, increased crop yields by 22%, and increased farmer profits by 68%.” It also found that yield and profit gains were higher in developing countries, which the New York Times did not include in its analysis.