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Website Offers Updated Information Important to Planting Decisions

The National Corn Growers Association released a revised version of its "Know Before Your Grow" website this week to offer growers updated information to help inform planting decisions in light of the release of new seed varieties currently unapproved in some export markets. The information provided allows growers to make informed decisions on potential marketing restrictions well before harvest.

"In a globalized agricultural economy, it is important that farmers understand the delicate balance that must be struck in trying to ensure access to the technologies necessary to combat production challenges while also ensuring export markets remain open to U.S. corn," said NCGA Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team Chair Jim Zimmerman. "In the case of China, the balance can prove challenging given that country's asynchronous approval system for biotech traits, and its current trend toward falling behind even the normal asynchronous approval timelines.

While we must make robust efforts to maintain market access, be it through controlled limited release of new products or even delayed release, farmers should remain aware of the importance of these products to their operations as they face difficulties caused by biological stressors. Both biotechnology and export markets play a key role in maintaining profitability and making decisions based on solid information will be key moving forward."

NCGA stands solidly true to its policy in maintaining all new events must have approval in the United States and Japan prior to release. Additionally, the trait provider must be actively pursuing approval in all other markets for U.S. corn.

Over the winter months, the NCGA Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team and the Corn Board worked tirelessly to examine all aspects and implications of the possible introduction of biotech traits not approved in China or the EU to the U.S. corn market. In doing so, TPBAT and the Corn Board sought to find a balance between the importance of timely availability of needed technology to farmers and the importance of maintaining export markets.

In the 2012/2013 marketing year, exports to China represented 0.8 percent of the total U.S. corn supply.

In examining the specific case of Agrisure Duracade, the team looked at the importance of products to combat intense rootworm pressure seen in some areas. While the need to maintain export markets remains of great importance to NCGA, it also saw the potential difficulty farmers would face if a regulatory system that is not functioning overseas could bar farmers' access to necessary technologies indefinitely. In light of these circumstances, NCGA asked that Syngenta develop a controlled limited release of the trait that would keep corn grown using Agrisure Duracade seed out of export channels in a closely monitored fashion.

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