Biotech wheat not easy issue for PNW growers

Farm and Ranch March 3, 2009 Northwest wheat growers may have concerns about export market acceptance of biotech wheat but that did not stop them from giving their overwhelming support to a National Association of Wheat Growers survey asking if they support commercialization of transgenic wheat. Scronce: “You would think if people were absolutely worried about a biotech trait, you know we export 90% percent of our wheat in the northwest, those numbers could have been low. But that didn’t prove out.� That is Karl Scronce of Klamath Falls, Oregon, the new president of the National Association of Wheat Growers. The approval rate of responding wheat producers in the northwest ranged from 83 percent 89 percent, higher than the national approval of 76 percent. And Scronce knows it wasn’t an easy decision for growers to make. Scronce: “When this survey came out there was a lot of buzz going around the farming community. What do we do? What do we say? They were talking to coops. I know they were having discussions in their coops about what do we say? We want biotechnology but we have to provide this to our customers. I think we are covering all those bases.� And though Scronce is a national officer; Scronce: “You know I am a proud PNW guy and they are pretty progressive farmers out there. And I am proud of them for taking an interest in this.� The biotech industry now knows growers will adopt transgenic wheat but it will still be several years before it is available in the marketplace. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.