Benefits A. Increased crop yields T

Benefits
A. Increased crop yields There is an expectation widely held by those in agriculture that GM seeds will increase
the yields of farmers that adopt the technology. Although there is not yet a large volume of research regarding the impact of biotechnology on crop yields and returns, the research that is available supports this expectation.
In a study using 1997 data, the Economic Research Service (ERS) found a statistically significant relationship between increased crop yields and increased adoption of herbicide- and pesticide-tolerant crop seeds.5 The ERS study found that crop yields "significantly increased" when farmers adopted herbicide-tolerant cotton and Bt cotton.6 The use of herbicide-tolerant soybeans resulted in a "small increase" in crop yields.
Another study performed by Iowa State University found that Bt crops out-yielded non- Bt crops. The university studied 377 fields and estimated that crops grown from GM seeds yielded 160.4 bushels of Bt corn per field, while crops grown from non-GM seeds yielded 147.7 per field.
B. Fewer applications of pesticides and herbicides Similarly, farmers expect that, as adoption of GM seeds increases, the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides (and the costs associated with their application) will decrease. Again, the research that is available generally supports this expectation.
The study by ERS found a decrease of pesticide and herbicide use when farmers adopted GM seeds. The decrease in pesticide use was significant.9 This decrease in herbicide use was also significant (except for the herbicide glysophate, for which the research revealed a significant increase).10
Other studies have not found a clear connection between the use of GM seeds and decreased chemical use. For instance, the Iowa State University study discussed above found that farmers' use of pesticides on GM crops remained "surprisingly large." Farmers applied pesticides on 18% of non-GM crops and 12% of GM crops.11
C. Increased profits In general, studies indicate that farmers' profits increase as they adopt GM seeds. The ERS study found that in most cases there is a statistically significant relationship between an increase in the use of GM seeds and an increase in net returns from farming operations.12 For example, the service found that, on average, GM soybean crops produced a net value of $208.42 per planted acre, while other crops produced a value of $191.56 per planted acre.13 The service also found a "significant increase" in net returns for herbicide-tolerant cotton crops and Bt cotton crops.
Other studies have reached similar results. Studies in Tennessee and Mississippi found higher returns from herbicide-resistant soybeans than from conventional
soybeans. A North Carolina study indicated that GM soybeans yielded $6 more per acre than traditional varieties.14