Saturday, April 14, 2012


Profitable?


 
A survey was taken in 1998 on farmers in Iowa comparing the profits on two different types of farms. The two different types of farms were ones who used GMO seeds and others who used non-GMO seeds.  More than half of the farmers (50%) who said GMO seeds said they showed an increase in yields because of improved pest control.  Also another 27% said they showed a decrease in pesticide cost.  Farmers who used non-GMO seeds found out they produced a slightly higher yield with soybeans than farmers who used GMO soybeans.  The biggest difference is in seed cost.  GMO seeds cost $26.42 per acre and non-GMOs cost $18.89 per acre.  Even though GMO seeds cost more they produce more yields without the use of more pesticides, which costs more.  This is very interesting to see because GMO seeds and non-GMO seeds produce almost the same amount of money per acre, but foods that contain GMOs are cheaper than organic food. 

 

Duffy, Mike. "Does Planting GMO Seed Boost Farmers' Profits?" Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. <http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/leopold-letter/1999/fall/does-planting-gmo-seed-boost-farmers-profits>.

BY: Kami

No comments:

Post a Comment