Insect-resistant crops with genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been available to corn and cotton farmers since 1996, and today, more than 92% of U.S. corn crops are planted to the technology, according to FDA estimates.1 For the 25th anniversary of Bt corn, we caught up with NK® Seeds district manager, Marc Hennen, who was a South Dakota agronomist involved with the very first test plots of Bt corn a quarter of a century ago.
What was life like before Bt technology — what was the need?
- Marc:
- At the time, corn borer was a big issue. Since insect larva tunneled into the stalks of the plants, it was difficult to control the insects by spraying. I remember a South Dakota farmer commented later that he didn’t realize what severe damage corn borer caused, because he blamed drought for his corn dying. But once he tried Bt corn, it was immediately apparent that it was greener and healthier because it didn’t have the insects tunneling. He, and many other farmers, were not even aware of how big a need there was.
What was your involvement with the first Bt test plots?
- Marc:
- We had to get experimental permits to plant the first biotech products, and those plots had to be segregated, with a buffer around them. As a business development agronomist with Ciba Seeds (a Syngenta legacy company) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, I was part of a team that helped put these plots in. We planted small strips of corn out in the middle of a soybean field to make sure it didn’t contaminate other fields. We saw dramatic differences in these strip trials between the Bt corn and the conventional hybrids — plant health, standability, test weight, and of course, yield. The conventional corn had tremendous amounts of tunneling and larva inside of some rough-looking plants, but the Bt corn remained nice and clean. It was really exciting to be a part of that.
How do you think the advent of Bt corn contributed to today’s agricultural innovations?
- Marc:
- I think it opened people’s eyes as to what biotechnology could do. Bt corn was a really big deal in the Western Corn Belt, where we had high corn borer pressure, but it showed all farmers that this technology worked and was safe and effective to use. It set the stage for waves of advancements, like Roundup Ready crops, corn rootworm resistance and even Enogen® corn hybrids. Having the technology in the seed was different and much better than anything we’d ever seen.
1996 ad promoting NK’s new Bt corn
Were you surprised how big Bt technology became?
- Marc:
- I think everyone was surprised! I remember sitting in those early meetings where we were trying to determine how much Bt product was needed and how many farmers would plant it. There was just a small percentage of acres that were being sprayed for corn borer. We didn’t realize at the time that there was much more damage out there or understand how much it was impacting yield potential until we had this technology that not only kept insects out, but also kept pathogens from entering the plant. We had many discussions back then about how much was needed, but today it’s used far and wide — because it works.
Any standout Bt hybrids that have really impressed you over the years?
- Marc:
- The NK4640 Bt Yieldgard® product was the highest-selling hybrid at one time across a number of states, along with NK3030 in the Western Corn Belt. Those two really took the market by storm and farmers just fell in love with them. They had good genetics and the traits were really strong. They helped put our company on the map and make corn borer almost a non-issue. It was lots of fun being in seed sales at that time.
What modern-day innovations are you excited about?
- Marc:
- Some of the newer traits we offer, like Agrisure Duracade® and Agrisure Viptera®, are state-of-the-art for controlling more insects and increasing yield potential. The performance of these products is really industry-leading. And Enogen hybrids for the beef and dairy markets are also up there. Customers are telling us they perform agronomically in the field and help them save money on feed, increasing their income-over-feed ratio and improving cattle performance. I’m excited to be a part of it and to help farmers continue to be more efficient, more sustainable and more profitable.
“Having the technology in the seed was different and much better than anything we’d ever seen.”
— Marc Hennen, NK Seeds District Manager
1 www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/gmo-crops-animal-food-and-beyond
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