I appreciate the opportunity to address all of you on the re-assessment of the risks and benefits of existing Bacillus thurigiensis (Bt) plant pesticides. My name is Dee Vaughan. I farm corn, wheat, sorghum, and soybeans in Moore County, located in the northern panhandle of Texas. I currently serve on the Board of Directors of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) representing 30,000 corn growers in 26 states.

The climate, culture and pest pressure in our area is very similar to that in southwest Kansas, the Oklahoma Panhandle, and Southeast Colorado. Our region typically experiences mild dry winters with temperatures between 20 and 50 degrees and dry summers with average temperatures around 95 degrees. Our insect pressure comes from the Western Corn Rootworm, Southwestern Corn Borer, European Corn Borer, and spider mites, also referred to as grass mites.

Reduced Pesticide Use
I have been planting Bt corn to fight corn borer pressure since 1998, as have many of my neighbors. My region is very reflective of others throughout the country in that the use of this innovative technology has steadily increased since its introduction.

Before introduction of this technology, I would use a crop consultant to scout fields for insects on my operation. Once a problem area was been identified, the necessary chemical applications are applied based on triggering economic thresholds established over the years by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.

I would typically treat approximately 50% of my corn acres for first generation Southwestern corn borer. The second generation of Southwestern corn borer along with European corn borer required virtually 100% of corn acres to be treated. Mites were typically treated with this second borer treatment.

By using the Bt corn technology, we have eliminated all corn borer treatments. We have also noted a marked decrease in corn worm feeding even though the current Bt events do not claim to provide this benefit.

In 1999, I did not make a single pesticide application to control corn borers or mites. In 23 years of farming that is the only year I have not treated my corn for these two pests. By not treating corn borer early in the growing season, we retained beneficial insects that prey on mites. I should note that prior to Bt corn being integrated into my farming practices, the combined insect pressure of borers and mites almost always justified chemical treatment.

Based on my personal experiences with this technology, I disagree with your assessment that Bt corn has not resulted in a reduction in chemical use. Especially in the 1999 growing season, my operation serves as a testament to the fact that Bt corn technology results in reduced chemical use.

I would suggest that the EPA look more specifically at regions, maybe even on a county-by-county basis, to determine the total effect of Bt corn and chemical use. Numerous studies have verified and with time, many more will show that even in Bt corn, notable measures of reduced pesticide use have been found.

A September 2000 report published by USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) offers several perspectives on estimating changes in pesticide use associated with adoption of these crops, while admitting the difficulty of making such a measurement. In the models used by these researchers, it was estimated that there was an 8.2 million pound total pesticide use between 1997 and 1998 as a result of the adoption of biotechnology, including a reduction cause by Bt corn use (report included with testimony).

By reducing my chemical inputs, I have become an even better steward of the soil, surface water, groundwater, and air and I have made a dramatic impact on my bottom-line.

By eliminating pesticide treatments for first generation Southwestern Corn Borer, I have seen an approximate savings of $13.00 per non-treated acres. The elimination of the second treatment for corn borers and mites has yielded me an approximate savings of $26.00 per non-treated acre. Its important to note that these figures do not include the labor and fuel costs associated with additional chemical applications.

Increase Yields
On my farm, we have experienced a consistent eight to ten bushel per acre increase in yield by using Bt corn hybrids over non-Bt hybrids. That increase can be attributed to a combination of better genetics and less pest damage. In testimony presented to the House Science Committee by Leonard Gianessi, Senior Research Associate for the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, it was stated that in 1997, side-by-side comparisons conducted by several companies and universities showed that the average yield for Bt corn was 11.7 bushels per acre higher than for conventional corn. In 1998, the average increase in yield was 4 bushels per acre.

The additional yield on my farm (8 bushels) multiplied by the price of corn I am receiving ($2.50) has netted my operation $16.00 per acre (this calculation factors in a 20% required refuge).

Healthier Corn
Bt modified corn has also been found to be healthier. According to USDA's Agricultural Research Service and plant pathologists at Iowa State University, Bt corn modified to prevent damage by the corn borer may also be less likely to harbor toxins. These toxins are both a human health issue and an export issue.

Other Benefits
Although this SAP is specifically investigating the risks and benefits of the Bt technology, I would like to briefly discuss another issue of biotechnology that members of the National Corn Growers Association is very interested in. This aspect of biotechnology, we believe, will only completely develop if the safe Bt products on the market today are made available in the future.

In addition to meeting the needs for food, feed and fiber, biotechnology allows us to provide raw materials for industrial uses (i.e., chemical feedstocks). Currently, the majority of consumer goods are made from hydrocarbons produced by the petrochemical industry. Because of the finite supply of oil and the U.S. reliance on imports for more than 50 percent of our oil needs, it is important for us to begin supplementing U.S. oil with renewable resources.

Crops, trees and agricultural wastes can be used as feedstocks to produce a wide range of everyday consumer goods, such as plastics, paints and adhesives. The utilization of renewable resources will help to cut costs, decrease our reliance on oil imports, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase recycling opportunities and create new, world-class industries here at home. Biotechnology will be critical to this effort, as it will allow the manipulation of plant constituents and enzyme extraction systems that will provide desirable feedstocks.

Plant genomics and biotechnology will help scientists, geneticists and plant breeders identify and utilize genes from corn and other economically significant crops that control important traits such as nutritional value, stress tolerance and resistance to pests. The far-reaching benefits of biotechnology include:

• revitalization of rural America due to a more robust agricultural sector;
• expansion of plant-based renewable resources for energy and raw materials;
• significant reductions in crop losses and reliance on pesticides through improved biological methods to control and alleviate serious industrial threats and targeted pests;
• improved yields and reduced crop losses caused by adverse environmental conditions such as heat, drought and salt
• improved nitrogen-use efficiency, thereby limiting the potential for nitrates in the water supply;
• reduced environmental problems confronted by livestock producers, such as modifying the digestibility of phosphorous in feed corn to reduce the amount of phosphorous that enters our ground water;
• improved animal nutrition, leading to healthier meat and increased meat productivity
• development of tailored hybrids with valuable specialty starches, oils and protein content; and
• reduced worldwide malnutrition due to higher yielding and more nutritious crops.

Genomics and biotechnology are critical to the long-term viability of U.S. agriculture. To compete in the global market, the U.S. must continually strive to efficiently and economically improve production capabilities - to maximize yield and combat serious threats from disease, pests, and climate changes - without harming the environment. Genomics research and the application of modern biotechnology hold the key to achieving this goal.

Conclusion
The cost to my operation of including the use of biotechnology on my operation is approximately $10.00 per acre. The benefit, again, not including fuel and labor costs, is between $19 and $45 per Bt corn acre.

Higher yields and less chemical application, coupled with the health and safety of the environment that the Bt technology provides is indisputable. I strongly urge members of the SAP to look at all benefits society as a whole is experiencing today, as well as the benefits to come when making final decisions on this technology.

I appreciate the opportunity to present the views of the National Corn Growers Association - especially given how important biotechnology is to all of us. I would be happy to answer any questions.

ST. LOUIS OFFICE

WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE