Yoder Participates in Coexistence Conference in Slovenia (10-17-05)
Ohio corn grower Fred Yoder represented the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) at an agricultural coexistence conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in early October to discuss the benefits of biotechnology and how biotech, conventional and organic farms can operate right next to each other.
Slovenia, located in central Europe, was once part of the communist nation of Yugoslavia. In 1991, it won its independence. But, economically, the nation is struggling to find its identity. Yoder said this conference was an avenue for Slovenes to map their farming future.
“They need something,” he said. “They are desperately looking for a niche in the world economy, and they think biotechnology may be one to fill that niche.”
Yoder said the Slovenes were very interested in biotechnology and how American farmers learn to coexist with conventional and organic fields surrounding them. He said it is all about communication.
“Communication was the main theme of my talk,” Yoder said. “Speaking to your neighbors is the way to make this happen. Talking with your neighbor to know what crops he’s planting and implementing the necessary crop rotations is what makes coexistence successful in the United States.”
The problem in Slovenia, Yoder discovered, is that farmers there do not communicate with each other, sometimes because of ethnicities. He promoted NCGA’s Know Before You Grow as a tool that American farmers use to help them understand biotechnology better. The Slovenes were very interested in the concept, Yoder said.
He is hopeful Slovenia adapts biotechnology and helps change some mindsets in Europe.
“One good thing is that Slovenia is not dug in with hard and fast rules like rest of Europe,” he said. “It has a little wiggle room to consider new technologies. I don’t think it’s impossible. They have work to do, but it appears they are willing to explore this and use technology. They realize technology may be the best way Slovenia can compete in the world economy.”