After nearly five months of leading efforts to develop an acceptable refuge for appropriate insect resistance management (IRM) strategy with Bt-corn, The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced early today that they as a farmer organization will take the lead in
educating farmers on the need to have an appropriate refuge in place for Bt corn acres.

"It appears the Registrants of Bt corn have agreed to 20 percent refuge as the appropriate level, and this corresponds with sound science to ensure the Bt technology will be available for years to come,'' said Tim Hume, NCGA Corn Board member from Walsh, Colo. "NCGA was critical in bringing the Registrants and seed companies together on an appropriate level, and we will continue to be a driving force in educating and ensuring that farmers are indeed understanding and complying with the refuge requirements.''

Last September, NCGA expressed concern that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is on course toward restricting insect-protected crops to the point that they will no longer be practical for farmers to use.

NCGA President Roger Pine of Lawrence, Kan., called last week's announcement by the Registrant Community a milestone for biotechnology. "We want to utilize these hybrids for the economic and environmental benefits they bring to corn production,'' he said.

EPA is considering establishing mandatory IRM programs to prevent insects from developing resistance to proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a naturally occurring soil organism, which can be used in place of chemical insecticides to control certain agricultural pests. This effort is apparently in response to the threat of lawsuits from certain anti-technology and environmental
interests.

A central component of IRM programs is a recommendation that growers plant some of their acreage in non-Bt hybrids. This non-Bt "refuge'' would provide an adequate supply of Bt-susceptible insects to mate with any very rare resistant insects that might survive exposure to the Bt crops. The offspring of their mating would most likely be susceptible to Bt.

Scott McFarland, NCGA's director of industry relations, noted that most of the registrants and seed companies recognize the critical role NCGA can and will provide in making sure that the corn growing community understands on a consistent basis the how's, what's, where's, and why's of appropriate insect resistance management related to Bt corn.

``NCGA, as a grower group, proactively developed the only defined IRM farmer education plan currently in circulation. Most of the registrants and seed companies are extremely supportive of the plan and look forward to partnering with NCGA in delivering it to the countryside,'' McFarland said.

"The NCGA IRM plan will demonstrate to EPA that a farmer-based and managed education program will be highly effective in gaining voluntary compliance by corn growers planting Bt hybrids. This will eliminate the need for more restrictive regulation by the Agency and the Registrants of the technology,'' said McFarland.

Growers currently have two options in establishing a refuge: 1) Leave a portion of non-Bt corn unprotected; or 2) leave a larger refuge but use a chemical spray to protect it. Bt is proving to be an effective tool in controlling certain agricultural pests.

"Growers feel that if they have to spray a high percentage of their corn acres, they might as well spray it all to realize the economic efficiency,'' noted Hume. "Bt corn has shown us just how much yield we are losing to corn borers, and we are not willing to accept that yield loss any more. Regulating the refuge requirement to an extremely high percentage moves growers away from Bt and back to sprays, and I don't think that's what anyone envisioned when we first heard about the promise of this new, environmentally compatible technology.''

NCGA has urged EPA to accept the best science-based recommendation that would allow maximum grower usage of the technology.

"We want to protect and sustain this technology for years to come, but we also want to be able to use it on our farms,'' Hume said.

The National Corn Growers Association actively represents the interests of producers of the nation's top grain crop. This organization's membership includes over 30,000 growers in 48 states and 44 affiliated state corn grower organizations. NCGA's mission is to create and increase opportunities for corn growers in a changing world and enhance corn utilization and profitability.
Visit the NCGA website, http://www.ncga.com , or e-mail at corninfo@ncga.com .

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