Print This PageIncreasing Farm Prosperity with Innovation
Study: United States
In 2005, biotech crops resulted in an additional 8.3 billion
pounds of yield for U.S. farmers.
The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP) reports that biotech crops continue to be planted on more acres in the United States because they deliver significant economic and environmental benefits for U.S. farmers. Farmers who planted biotech varieties of soybean, canola, cotton, and corn in 2005 benefited from higher productivity and higher net returns and made significantly fewer pesticide applications for weed and insect control.22
In 2005, U.S. farmers planted eight biotechnology-derived crops on 123 million acres, an increase of 4 percent from 2004.22 This produced several advantages: higher productivity of 8.3 billion pounds, increased net returns to farmers of $2 billion, and a reduction of almost 70 million pounds in pesticide applications.22 These results are consistent with the trends reported in previous NCFAP studies.
All of
the states producing biotech crops reaped considerable benefits. Large increases
in biotech corn and soy plantings in the Midwest in 2005 resulted in a large
increase in benefits in this region over previous years.22
Biotech crops were able to reduce overall crop production costs by more than $100 million in four states in 2005.22
In 2005, corn and canola showed the greatest increase in percentage of land planted to biotech varieties. Increasingly popular varieties and reduced trade issues were both factors in this increase.22
Although planted acreage, productivity, and pesticide reduction all increased from 2004, net income did not. This was probably a function of increased production costs and lower corn and cotton crop prices, which reduced the overall value of the 2005 crop so much as to make direct comparisons with 2004 impractical. Nonetheless, the incremental net farm income of $2 billion was a significant contributor to the agricultural economy.22
