Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
T
HE
F
IRST
D
ECADE OF
G
ENETICALLY
E
NGINEERED
C
ROPS IN THE
U
NITED
S
TATES
*
Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo and Margriet Caswell
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
A
BSTRACT
Ten years after the first generation of genetically engineered (GE)
varieties became commercially available, adoption of these varieties by
U.S. farmers is widespread for major crops. Driven by farmers'
expectations of higher yields, savings in management time, and lower
pesticide costs, the adoption of corn, soybean, and cotton GE varieties has
increased rapidly. Despite the benefits, however, environmental and
consumer concerns may have limited acceptance of GE crops,
particularly in Europe. This chapter focuses on GE crops and their
adoption in the United States over the past 10 years. It examines the three
major stakeholders of agricultural biotechnology and finds that (1) the
pace of R&D activity by producers of GE seed (the seed firms and
technology providers) has been rapid, (2) farmers have adopted some GE
varieties widely and at a rapid rate and benefited from such adoption, and
(3) the level of consumer concerns about foods that contain GE
