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Released: February 24, 2000 Segregation of Kansas GMO Crops MANHATTAN, Kan.- With soybean and corn planting just weeks away, Kansas farmers may be wondering if the industry will have to segregate the crops grown from genetically-modified seed from non-modified varieties. A Kansas State University scientist says that at this point, the answer appears to be no. Tim Herrman, Extension state leader in the Department of Grain Science and Industry, surveyed grain handlers and soybean crushers around the state. "Beans are beans, according to Kansas crushers," Herrman said. "Currently, Kansas crushers who manufacture soybean meal using solvent extraction do not plan to differentiate between GMO (genetically modified organism) and non-GMO crops. Likewise, most Kansas grain handlers do not plan to segregate GMO corn from non-GMO corn." GMO is an abbreviation for genetically modified organism. A genetically modified organism is a living plant, animal, bacterium or fungus that has been altered by the addition of a new gene through the process of genetic engineering. Herrman noted that while the issue of segregating GMO crops in the Corn Belt heated up during the 1999 harvest, Kansas’ main segregation issue will likely occur with wheat. The recent public release of three hard white winter wheat (HDWH) varieties by K-State’s Agricultural Experiment Station will require Kansas producers and grain handlers to work together to avoid mixing HDWH wheat with Kansas’ predominant class, hard red winter wheat (HRW). Segregation of the two wheat classes is important, he said. Although both are derived through traditional breeding techniques, they possess some different end-use properties that are important to buyers. "Segregation for an end-use property permits the market to assign value -- unlike the current GMO debate, which focuses mostly on customer perceptions and preferences," Herrman said. He said commercial grain handlers around the state have the ability and means to segregate grain, if necessary, but the process comes with its share of delays and costs. Those vary, depending partly on the country elevator configuration, according to a recent K-State study. "Commercial grain handlers can receive over 10 million bushels per hour in Kansas," Herrman said, adding that major improvements are underway at many country elevators, to accommodate producers’ and custom cutters’ interest in harvesting the crop in a hurry. The upgrades will also permit commercial grain handlers to segregate grains during harvest with minimal delay. Maintaining open communications will be important for producers, grain handlers and processors during this period of transition for Midwest agriculture, he said. "If market niches arise for non-GMO crops, producers intending to capitalize on this opportunity need to stay in close contact with their grain company," Herrman said. "The development of crops with specific end-use traits will continue. "While many suggest a conflict exists between current trends within the grain handling industry -- such as the increased use of 108-car-unit trains that carry over 300,000 bushels and the increasing popularity of specialty crops -- that concern may be overstated. Many of the new traits are not mutually exclusive. Thus, bundling these traits and producing, handling, and shipping them in large quantities appear feasible and will evolve to become a significant part of the future agricultural marketplace." For more information on biotechnology research and education at Kansas State University visit the World Wide Web site http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/pr_biotech/ -30- K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus in Manhattan. Mary Lou Peter |