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Ames, Iowa
July 20, 2009
Increasingly, the term
“sustainable” is used to describe desirable systems in
agriculture. But what does the term really mean, and how does it
apply to U.S. crops? CAST’s
newest Special Publication —
Sustainability of U.S. Soybean Production: Conventional,
Transgenic, and Organic Systems — defines sustainable
agriculture and evaluates its implications in the production of
U.S. soybeans.
Soybean production has changed in the United States since its
first introduction in the mid-1880s. Initially, the crop was
produced mainly for forage and received only minimal inputs.
Today, soybeans have become a major source of protein in animal
diets and vegetable oils for human consumption. In 2002, 68% of
the 75.4 million U.S. soybean acres were planted to transgenic
varieties compared with 92% of the 75.7 million soybean acres
planted in 2008.
With this dramatic change in mind, the United Soybean Board
(USB) requested that CAST provide a comprehensive literature
review that would evaluate U.S. soybean production systems
currently in use with respect to their environmental and
economic sustainability. This new CAST Special Publication
documents the ecological and economic implications of U.S.
soybean production in conventional, transgenic (biotech), and
organic production systems.
“Development of technology that supports soybean production in
the United States has been and continues to be robust in both
the genetics and production/management areas,” says Project
Manager Dr. Larry Heatherly, agronomic adviser, Seymour,
Tennessee. “Development of new technology that will be needed to
address anticipated future soybean production issues depends on
the continued vigor of this public and private research and
development effort.” “The combined efforts of each scientist on
the 12-member Task Force are reflected in the quality of this
critical review,” concludes CAST Executive Vice President/CEO
Dr. John M. Bonner. “CAST is pleased to contribute to the
growing body of literature on sustainable agriculture.”
The full text of Special Publication 30 is available in hardcopy
($18.00, plus shipping) and electronically ($10.00), along with
many of CAST’s other scientific publications, by contacting the
CAST Office at 515-292-2125 or accessing the CAST website at
www.cast-science.org.
CAST is an international consortium of 34 scientific and
professional societies. It assembles, interprets, and
communicates credible, science-based information regionally,
nationally, and internationally to legislators, policymakers,
the media, the private sector, and the public. |
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