TRANSGENIC:HOW THEY AFFECT ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN NORTH DAKOTA Brad Brummond NDSU Extension Service/ Walsh County 2002

NORTH DAKOTA First in organic grain production 90,000 acres certified production

UNITED STATES certified organic cropland has more then doubled Medium term growth rates 22%

IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE Viable, fast growing segment of agriculture in ND, U.S. and world

PROBLEMS FACING ORGANIC AGRICULTURE Organic standards have no set tolerances Growing acreage of GMO crops in North Dakota and United States UP of organic grains with GMO material will decertify it Possible loss of markets

CHALLENGES FACING THE ORGANIC INDUSTRY IN NORTH DAKOTA

KEEPING SEED SUPPLY FREE OF U.P. Growing acreage of transgenic soybeans, corn and canola pollen drift and insects Concern about purity of North Dakota Seedstock Program

POLLEN DRIFT Seen as one of the biggest threats to organic crops abandonment of certified organic canola production by most producers Organic growers trying to to develop procedures to deal with this

UNINTENDED PRESENCE WITHIN THE SYSTEM Some buyers will reject anything over Zero Almost impossible to clean last seed out of equipment and facilities

LONG TERM ENVIROMENTAL AFFECTS

STEPS FOR OVERCOMING

COMMUNICATION HAS BEGUN Organic producers, breeders, North Dakota Seedstock Program, organic certifiers, Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society and Extension have begun communicating on this issue

FARMERS BREEDING CLUB PROJECT Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS) has started training farmers to make seed selections Goal is to develop alternative seed system Project is under funded at this point

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS NPSAS and other organic organizations are providing training sessions for farmers Certification groups are developing procedures to try to reduce risk Resolutions have been drafted on transgenic crops by NPSAS Organic community is organizing

STARTING WITH CLEAN SEED Buy organically grown seed when possible Test every lot of seed before your buy for contamination

SEPERATION BY TIMING OF PLANTING Planting organic corn later then GMO corn goal is to try and get 5 to 10 day difference in bloom

DILIGENCE THROUGH DISTANCE Organic farmers consult with conventional neighbors put organic production as far away as possible from transgenic fields separate far enough so bees should not carry pollen between fields

FACILITY AND EQUIPMENT CONTAMINATION Producers are trying to use equipment and facilities that have never had transgenic products in them Clean out affidavits on other items being used

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH CERTIFIERS Certification organizations are developing standards and protocols You need to know what is required of you

SUMMARY Communication Diligence Stay informed

SOLUTIONS???? Communications Coexistence working group Identify issues Gather information Make recommendations Disseminate findings

OBJECTIVES OF WORKING GROUP Identify issues Gather information Promote understanding between systems Develop BMPs Education

HISTORY Pilot group 2 meetings 2001 Original organic groups, NDSU and state personnel Decided to include all stakeholders and write grant SARE grant

GROUP MEMBERS Farmers Organic Conventional IP Biotech

GROUP MEMBERS University ND Depts. Biotech industry Organic groups

ORDER OF BUSINESS Id issues Gather information Make decisions Disseminate decisons

ISSUES IDENTIFIED Liability Where does it lie for U.P. Farmers, industry, NDSU Genetic drift (UP) Commingling

LAND GRANT RESEARCH FUNDING Public crop variety research and development NDSU mission relating to germplasm maintance and varietal development Relationship to private companies

SEGREAGATION/PURITY Segregation Can it be done and if so how? Purity How do we keep things separate Monitoring

TOLERANCE What is acceptable? Market requirements NOP Is zero realistic? Sampling Testing

GERMPLASM Who has the right of access Multiple systems for plant development Access to and development of non- transgenic seed Long term storage viability of germplasm base

Germplasm Implications of patented varieties Consolidation in the seed industry

STANDARDS Protocols for research and development of seed increase Protocols for commercial seed production Education of growers

CONSEQUENCES Cost /benefit of current commercial transgenic crops Future transgenic development IP infrastructure for added value and rural development

NEIGHBORS Need for farmer education and communication Isolation buffers/responsibilities

CONSUMER CONCERNS Consumer perceptions, attitudes and education Labeling costs and benefits Consumer choice Food feed and environment

REQUIREMENTS Decision process on commercialization of transgenic crops

This material is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, under Cooperative Agreement number

“Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”