Statement on Genetically Modified Wheat Trait

Aug 29, 2024

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced today its decision to deregulate the drought-tolerate HB4^® trait in wheat. The wheat commissions of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, representing Pacific Northwest (PNW) wheat producers, provided the following statement to address some of the questions that may arise from this announcement, especially from our valued customers around the world:

“The PNW wheat industry supports and encourages new technologies that increase producer profitability and will help feed the growing world population. At the same time, we remain committed to providing our customers with the quality and reliability they have come to expect from PNW wheat.

“It is important to understand that the APHIS approval process is different than commercialization. This announcement provides a pathway to future commercialization of the HB4® trait in wheat in the United States, however the scientific process is lengthy, and it is unlikely that the trait will be commercially grown or available for at least three to five years. We can still confidently say that no genetically modified (GM) wheat is currently being cultivated commercially in the United States.

“The PNW wheat industry has always been a global leader in wheat quality by focusing on the high standards for end-use characteristics driven by our export customers. PNW wheat breeding has been acutely focused on, and responsive to, the needs of our export markets. The region will continue to provide a reliable supply of high-quality grains and wheat foods that customers know and expect.”

From the U.S. Wheat Associates

“The farmer leaders of USW are confident that the HB4^® trait has the potential to deliver significant producer and consumer benefits.,” wrote the U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) in a statement released earlier today. USW is the export market organization for the U.S. wheat industry. USW believes in using a science-based approach for wheat breeding technologies while meeting the specific needs of importing customers.

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Video: Spring 2026 weather outlook for Wisconsin; What an early-arriving El Niño could mean

Northeast Wisconsin is a small corner of the world, but our weather is still affected by what happens across the globe.

That includes in the equatorial Pacific, where changes between El Niño and La Niña play a role in the weather here -- and boy, have there been some abrupt changes as of late.

El Niño and La Niña are the two phases of what is collectively known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short. These are the swings back and forth from unusually warm to unusually cold sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator.

Since this past September, we have been in a weak La Niña, which means water temperatures near the Eastern Pacific equator have been cooler than usual. That's where we're at right now.

Even last fall, the long-term outlook suggested a return to neutral conditions by spring and potentially El Niño conditions by summer.

But there are some signs this may be happening faster than usual, which could accelerate the onset of El Niño.

Over the last few weeks, unusually strong bursts of westerly winds farther west in the Pacific -- where sea surface temperatures are warmer than average -- have been observed. There is a chance that this could accelerate the warming of those eastern Pacific waters and potentially push us into El Niño sooner than usual.

If we do enter El Nino by spring -- which we'll define as the period of March, April and May -- there are some long-term correlations with our weather here in Northeast Wisconsin.

Looking at a map of anomalously warm weather, most of the upper Great Lakes doesn't show a strong correlation, but in general, the northern tiers of the United States do tend to lean to that direction.

The stronger correlation is with precipitation. El Niño conditions in spring have historically come with a higher risk of very dry weather over that time frame, so this will definitely be a transition we'll have to watch closely as we move out of winter.