Gene Editing Opens New Doors for Agriculture

By Zippy Duvall

Farmers know better than anyone that agriculture never stands still. Every growing season brings new challenges, whether it’s weather, pests, disease, or rising costs. That’s why innovation and farming go hand in hand. Farmers are constantly looking for better ways to care for our crops, protect our animals, and keep our farms sustainable for the next generation.

Take for example last month’s approval of a new gene-edited citrus rootstock designed to help fight citrus greening disease. This new tool is an important step forward for agriculture. For farmers, it’s another example of how innovation can help us tackle problems that once felt impossible to overcome.

Gene Editing Benefits Farmers and Consumers

For generations, farmers have worked to improve crops and livestock through careful breeding and selection. Gene editing allows scientists to build on that work by making those same kinds of changes that otherwise would take decades through traditional breeding.

Agriculture has always evolved, and farmers have always adapted.

I think one reason this conversation matters so much is because farmers are being asked to do more with less. We’re facing tighter margins and navigating the pressure from weather and disease. Gene editing offers another tool to help farmers meet those challenges.

Gene editing can help farmers grow crops that are better equipped to withstand drought, insects and disease. It can also help improve livestock health by reducing the threat of devastating illnesses without the need for antibiotics.