Roger Beachy, president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, explained the science of making GMOs, the fruits and vegetable crops currently bio-engineered and how GMOs have improved economics for farmers. GMOs are environmentally friendly, economically beneficial for farmers and provide significant health and nutrition benefits, Beachy said.

John Foster, University of Nebraska, presented additional information about the advantages of GMO crops over conventional control methods, including the economic and environmental impacts of GMO pesticide reduction. Genetically modified (GM) crops are the “least invasive method of insect control,” Foster said.

Lower input costs and fewer environmental impacts are two reasons farmers choose to plant GM crops, said Marc Vanacht of the Metz Vanacht Company in Claskson Valley, Mo. Vanacht presented results of a market research survey of growers attitudes toward GMOs. Most Midwest farmers adopted GMOs because of improved weed control, reduced herbicide cost and improved grain quality, Vanacht reported.

While the farmers are enthusiastic about results from GMOs, only 4 percent of American consumers would prefer to buy GM foods, he said.

Skepticism about GMOs is not unfounded, said Marti Crouch, University of Indiana. Crouch discussed her concerns about introducing novel traits and manipulating organisms when ecology and species interactions are not fully understood. In addition, Couch said poorly designed tests and poorly analyzed results lead to inadequate regulation of GMOs. “So, I’m in favor of moving a little bit more slowly and with a little bit more humility in the face of what we don’t know, particularly about ecology," Crouch said

The basis for GMO regulations will depend on the concept of nature, according to Drew Kershen, University of Oklahoma. Kershen presented two views of the concept of natural – mother nature and naturalist views – which propose different interactions between humans and nature. The difference in the concept of nature, Kershen said, leads to different policies and regulations.

Inherent to the GMO debate are ethical issues, said Jeffrey Burkhardt, University of Florida. Consumers and farmers face choice and control issues when deciding for or against GM crops, said Burkhardt, named by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman to serve on the newly-formed Advisory Committee on Agricultural Biotechnology.

More than 200 people attended the three-hour session moderated by Rick Haines, president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters.

Interviews with each of the forum speakers, conducted by National Association of Farm Broadcasters, will be broadcast this week. Interview text and audio will be available on the CTIC web site (www.ctic.purdue.edu/). Videotapes of the forum will be available soon. Check the CTIC web site for details.

The GMO Forum was hosted by CTIC, a natural resource conservation alliance of agricultural interests working to develop public/private partnerships that promote soil and water quality and equip agriculture with realistic, affordable and integrated management solutions. For more information on the GMO Forum, contact CTIC at 765-494-9555.