The promise in the World of Biotechnology continues to shine brightly as we enter 2002, but not without challenges. The very technology that holds great promise to create new opportunity will require continued education of consumers and better management to ensure product acceptance. Corn is a consumer-driven market that must meet the needs of our customers first.

At the NCGA, we strive to strike, a balance between the benefits of new technology with the critical need to satisfy our customers. That begins by protecting the integrity of the U.S. corn crop. While the share of U.S. corn acres planted to biotech has dropped 10 percent over the past two years, it still represents one-quarter of the total corn crop, or more than 19 million acres. That percentage is expected to grow with the introduction of new commercial varieties. As an industry, corn growers have much to gain from the advancements made possible by biotechnology, and also much to lose if they ignore our customers ’ needs.

On your behalf, the NCGA has taken the lead in a number of areas to ensure that biotechnology wins for all parties involved. It starts with sound recommendations for use of biotechnology products not yet approved for certain markets. The NCGA supports the commercial release of new seed varieties only after they have gained full approval for use in the United States and Japan and approval is being aggressively pursued in other major international corn markets.

To keep our membership informed on the latest approved uses for biotech hybrids, the Know Before You Grow SM initiative was developed as a cooperative effort on the part of the NCGA and the industry ’s leading seed companies. Know Before You Grow SM encourages corn growers to proactively investigate marketing opportunities for their crop before they make their seed purchase decisions. The most recent status updates for many of the nation ’s corn hybrids are available in the Know Before You Grow SM section of the NCGA Web site, www.ncga.com.

The NCGA shares your hope for the World of Biotechnology as well as your concerns. Education will remain the NCGA ’s core focus for growers, industry and consumers alike. NCGA will also continue to work diligently on initiatives such as Insect Resistance Management (IRM)to ensure procedures are based on sound science and are easy to understand and implement. Biotechnology has a bright future for expanding market options as well as the positive benefits corn growers can provide our customers.