A new report from the National Research Council says U.S. Farmers' rapid adoption of genetically engineered crops has saved them money and and increased production, but overuse of the new strains could negate their positive effects. NRC, which is affiliated with the National Academy of Sciences, bills the study as "the first comprehensive assessment of the impact of genetically modified crops on American farmers," Andrew Pollack of The New York Times reports.
The study revealed genetically modified crops "offered farmers lower production costs, higher output or extra convenience, benefits that generally outweighed the higher costs of the engineered seeds," Pollack writes. Some opponents of the technology were quick to point out the study used data from the years before a recent jump in genetically modified seed prices. "This is a very different future," Charles Benbrook, an agricultural economist and chief scientist at the Organic Center, which promotes organic food and farming, told Pollack. "The cost is going to be way higher. The environmental impacts are going to go up fairly dramatically."
The study wasn't all good news for genetic-engineering advocates. Researchers found Roundup Ready seeds of Monsanto are so popular that weeds may become resistant to the popular pesticide, Pollack reports. The study concluded the overuse problem deserved national attention because "Farmer practices may be reducing the utility of some G.E. traits as pest-management tools and increasing the likelihood of a return to more environmentally damaging practices." (Read more)
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