Biotechnology

Reports and studies on biotechnology, plus links to other resources.

Enhancing Coexistence: An AC21 Report
On Nov. 19, 2012, the USDA Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21) submitted to Secretary Tom Vilsack their final recommendations on coexistence among organic, biotech and conventional farming operations.

Summary of First Expert Panel Report on Cotton Biotechnology
Mankind has been genetically modifying plants from the day selections were first made from among wild races. But, the scientific development of new varieties based on an understanding of genetic principals began only in the 1900s. Great progress has been made in understanding the workings of genes after the discovery of the structure of DNA.

NCFAP Cotton Case Study Summaries
A National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy study of biotechnology, which included three cotton case studies, documented that transgenic crops help Americans reap an additional 14 billion pounds of food and improve farm income $2.5 billion, while using 163 million fewer pounds of pesticide.

Conservation Tillage Study
A Cotton Foundation study on behalf of the NCC and conducted by Doane's found a marked increase in conservation tillage acres since 1997 when Roundup Ready technology was first made available.

Feed Your Mind
Feed Your Mind is FDA’s education initiative to help consumers better understand genetically engineered foods, commonly called GMOs or genetically modified organisms. (updated regularly)

USDA: Agricultural Biotechnology
Detailed information on how the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates the movement, importation, and field testing of genetically engineered plants and microorganisms through permitting and notification procedures.

Summary of Second Expert Panel Report on Cotton Biotech
Adoption of biotech cotton varieties has been rapid since it was introduced in 1996. The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) estimates that biotech cotton varieties were planted on 24 percent of the world cotton area in 2004/05, accounting for 35 percent of world production and 31 percent of cotton traded in the international market.

Straight Talk about Biotechnology
Planting the Seeds of Promise

Cotton Genome Center
Promotes diversity in education and training in the area of plant genomics and bioinformatics. Primary mission is to spearhead genomic research that targets the characterization of a complex trait - the cotton fiber.