Association Perspectives

One Survey That’s Not Junk Mail

By Daren Coppock

Wheat growers around the country should watch their mailboxes as the new year begins for a petition seeking their opinions about deploying biotechnology traits in wheat. The petition has been commissioned by the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and is intended to measure and document the level of support for biotech trait commercialization among wheat growers. In an effort to concentrate the petition on commercial wheat growers and to manage mailing and data costs, the mailing list includes wheat growers in NAWG-affiliated states and a few others who have at least 500 acres of wheat and at least 1,000 total acres in production. We ask that all producers who receive the petition read and consider it carefully and, if they agree with what it says, return it with their indication of support.

This effort is just one part of what NAWG and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), along with other industry allies, are doing to improve the competitiveness of wheat by opening the door to biotechnology traits.

Wheat area in the United States has been on a steady decline for the past 30 years as other crops that do have access to biotech traits have competed for producer interest and delivered greater returns. The initial focus in wheat is on traits that will make the crop more competitive in terms of net revenue per acre, such as drought tolerance, heat tolerance, cold tolerance, disease resistance and nitrogen-use efficiency. Second-generation quality traits are possible once the initial platform is established, much as has happened in soybeans.

The petition growers will be seeing soon will help in this effort by answering a question posed to NAWG by private technology developers: do producers want the choice of biotech tools in the wheat variety toolbox and will they do what is necessary to obtain that access?

USW and NAWG have met with many of these companies throughout 2008, and they are all well aware that the national organizations support biotechnology trait commercialization. But, they are still facing a 10-year, $150 million effort to develop, deregulate and launch a trait in wheat. Since both NAWG’s and USW’s boards will turn over several times during that development cycle, the companies rightfully want to know that this support is durable and permeates all the way to grower level.

We’re asking wheat growers to help us open the door to improving their bottom lines through access to advanced traits. Producers receiving the petition can help us in this effort by signing and returning it or, if they don’t like what they see, letting us know why.

A comprehensive and positive response will help get that 10-year development clock started.

Coppock is the chief executive officer of the National Association of Wheat Growers, based in Washington, D.C.