UA touts 2 soybean varieties as not genetically modified

Pengyin Chen holds up a new variety of soybeans at the Pine Tree Research Station near Colt in this 2013 file photo. Chen was the director of the soybean breeding program at the University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture at the time the photo was taken.
Pengyin Chen holds up a new variety of soybeans at the Pine Tree Research Station near Colt in this 2013 file photo. Chen was the director of the soybean breeding program at the University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture at the time the photo was taken.

Two varieties of soybeans developed by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will be readily available in Arkansas next year to farmers considering planting beans that have not been genetically modified.

The soybean varieties, UA 5612 and UA 5213C, are designed for high yield, adapt well to Arkansas’ climate and can be harvested after rice crops in late October, said Pengyin Chen, director of the division’s soybean breeding program. The soybean varieties, which took 10 years to develop, target the specialty market where farmers can obtain premium prices for their genetically unmodified crops, he said.

According to statistics that the U.S. Department of Agriculture released in July, 93 percent of the soybean crop in the U.S. for 2013 is genetically modified to make it herbicide tolerant. The soybeans are designed to tolerate specific herbicides that in the past would have killed the beans and the weeds. The modified varieties give farmers more options on weed control.

Eighty-five percent of the corn crop and 82 percent of the cotton crop this year are herbicide-tolerant. Corn and cotton also are genetically engineered to produce a protein that’s toxic to specific insects, thus making the crops more bug-resistant.

John Motter, an Ohio soybean farmer and the farmer-director on the United Soybean Board, said UA’s new plants hit on the primary concern for any soybean farmer - high yield. The fact that the varieties are not genetically modified makes them additionally desirable for farmers who can sell the crops in a niche market and for higher prices.

That’s because only a small fraction of farmers plant nongenetically modified varieties of soybeans.

According to a study by Dan Rainey, an economist with the UA Bumpers College and the UA Division of Agriculture, the niche market for nongenetically modified soybeans could be worth up to $15 million for Arkansas growers. The study by Rainey and his brother, Ron Rainey of the Division of Agriculture, was commissioned by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board.

In 2012, the state planted 3.2 million acres of soybeans, and the total crop was valued at $1.5 billion. Rainey said 6 percent of that crop is nongenetically modified plants.

In a recent interview, Dan Rainey said there is a growing demand for nongenetically modified soybeans, particularly in Asia where consumers are a verse to eating the genetically modified varieties.

He said many farmers are on the fence about planting nongenetically modified soybeans. While growers can see a $1 to $3 premium per bushel for nongenetically modified soybeans, there are challenges that include the need to segregate the soybeans from genetically modified varieties.

According to Rainey’s research, consumer demand in the U.S. for nongenetically modified soybeans is up 8 percent to 15 percent a year and now includes not only specialty-food stores, but also groceries, food clubs and big box retailers. U.S. exports of nongenetically modified soybeans to South Korea have grown more than 50 percent in the past five years, and inJapan, nongenetically modified exporters have a 32 percent margin as compared with other soybeans.

UA 5213C produces yields similar to conventional and Roundup Ready soybean varieties that it was tested against, Chen said. The plant is also resistant to major diseases but is susceptible to sudden death syndrome. It matures in mid to late October. UA 5612, released in 2012, matures about five days later than 5213C does but has even higher yields.

According to a UA release, during tests in Arkansas from 2005-11 the average yield for UA 5612 was 62 bushels an acre. It was 53 bushels an acre in variety tests in Arkansas and other Southern states from 2008-11.

Chen said another advantage of the two nongenetically modified varieties is cost.He said they will cost about half what genetically modified seeds cost. The UA 5612 brand has been available for sale at some seed dealers this year. Both types will be available next year through dealers and the University of Arkansas Foundation Seed program.

“There will be plenty of seeds,” Chen said.

Business, Pages 69 on 09/01/2013

Upcoming Events