Overview
U.S. farmers have adopted genetically engineered (GE) crops widely
since their introduction in 1996, notwithstanding uncertainty about
consumer acceptance and economic and environmental impacts. Soybeans
and cotton genetically engineered with herbicide-tolerant traits
have been the most widely and rapidly adopted GE crops in the U.S.,
followed by insect-resistant cotton and corn. This product summarizes
the extent of adoption of herbicide-tolerant and insect–resistant
crops since their introduction in 1996. Three tables devoted to
corn, cotton,
and soybeans cover the
2000-08 period by State. See more on extent
of adoption...
Data
The following tables provide the data obtained by USDA's National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in the June Agricultural
Survey for 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and
2008. Randomly selected farmers across the United States were asked
if they planted corn, soybeans, or upland cotton seed that, through
biotechnology, is resistant to herbicides, insects, or both. Conventionally
bred herbicide-tolerant varieties were excluded. Stacked gene varieties
include those containing GE traits for both herbicide tolerance
(HT) and insect resistance (Bt).
According to NASS, the States published in these tables represent
81-86 percent of all corn planted acres, 88-90 percent of
all soybean planted acres, and 81-93 percent of all upland
cotton planted acres (depending on the
year). See more on the extent
of adoption.
The acreage estimates are subject to sampling variability because
all operations planting GE varieties are not included in the sample.
The variability for the 48 corn States, calculated by NASS using
the relative standard error at the U.S. level, is 0.5-1.8 percent
for all GE varieties (depending on the year), 1.6-2.4 percent
for insect-resistant (Bt)-only varieties, 1.7-3.8 percent for herbicide-tolerant-only
varieties, and 1.3-10.8 percent for stacked gene varieties. Variability
for the 31 soybean States is 0.3-0.8 percent for herbicide-tolerant
varieties, depending on the year. Variability for the 17 upland
cotton States is 0.8-2.2 percent for all GE varieties, 4.6-5.6
percent for insect-resistant (Bt)-only varieties, 2.6-6.6 percent
for herbicide-tolerant-only varieties, and 2.4-4.2 percent for
stacked gene varieties.
Updates
The tables will be updated with 2009 GE adoption figures in
July 2009 once the survey data become available at the end of
June 2009.
Data Sources
Check the data glossary for details of
the different surveys that provided the data.
Related Resources
Many people are interested in information about the global
GE acreage. USDA does not collect these data. Estimates are produced
by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications (ISAAA) and can be found in the report, Global
Status of Commercialized Transgenic Crops: 2007.
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