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| NCGA member Ken
Hartman, Jr., left, explains the benefits of biotechnology
to members of a Danish farm group, while other
members of the group take a look at some of Hartman’s
farm machinery. |
NCGA Demonstrates Benefits of Biotechnology to Denmark Visitors (9-16-04)
More than 40
farmers, agricultural advisors and industry representatives from
Denmark
learned about the promise of biotechnology during
visits this week to Monsanto’s St. Louis-based facilities
and the Illinois farm of a National Corn Growers Association (NCGA)
leader where biotech crops are grown.
After touring
Monsanto’s research laboratories Tuesday,
the group met with NCGA Director of Biotechnology Nathan Danielson
to discuss how U.S. producers use biotechnology to enhance profitability
and product quality. The Danish delegation, hosted by Monsanto,
then visited a farm operated by Ken Hartman, Jr., the U.S. Grains
Council liaison to NCGA’s Biotechnology Working Group.
Hartman said
the visit provided an opportunity to inform foreign growers – who are also consumers – about
the positive effects biotechnology has had on U.S. agriculture.
“It’s important to educate the world about biotechnology
and emphasize that biotech crops are safe products,” “Many
countries, particularly in Europe, are concerned about biotechnology,
and there’s no reason to be worried. Biotech crops are no
different than any other type of hybrid and we need to ensure consumers
understand that.”
Bent Nielsen, an agricultural advisor from a Danish farmers union,
said no biotech crops are currently grown in Denmark, but farmers
are eager to learn more about the potential of this technology.
“There is quite a debate about using biotech products in
Denmark,” he said. “Some farmers are very interested,
but others are taking distance from biotechnology. Consumers are
skeptical about (biotechnology) in Denmark, and some farmers are
too.”
By participating
in fact-finding missions like this week’s
visit, Nielson said Danish farm groups are learning first-hand
how farmers in other countries are using biotechnology. The Denmark
group is also learning the truth about biotechnology and dispelling
the myths that circulate in many European countries.
“The only way to learn more about it is to hear different
opinions and see how it is being used,” he said. “Farmers
cannot make a good decision on biotechnology until they know all
the facts. Another way we can solve the debate is to have more
open discussion and to get our journalists into the fields to see
it.”
Though he is still gathering information on how biotechnology
may be applied to Danish agriculture practices, Nielsen said he
believes biotechnology could play an important role in the future
of farming in Denmark.
“We have seen that biotechnology can be very useful in dealing
with rootworms and other pest problems,” he said. “We
also saw that farmers who use biotech seed use less chemicals on
their fields. We haven’t had as many problems with some of
the more destructive insects because of our colder conditions,
but we have heard that those insects are becoming a problem in
Austria and northern Italy. If they keep migrating north, it may
be a problem for us one day.”
During the
visit to Hartman’s farm, Nielsen said he was
amazed by the noticeable differences between farming in the United
States and Denmark. “The size of the average farm here is
much larger than in Denmark,” he said, adding that a 250-acre
farm in Denmark is considered large. “And the machinery in
America is much bigger and more advanced.”
However, Nielsen
said, there are familiar parallels between farming in the two
countries. “Farming can be a struggle in Denmark,
and it looks like a challenge here in America too,” he said. “But
it is a good life, too.”