Biotech Updates

Adoption of GE Crops in the US

July 26, 2017

The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA ERS) has released its most recent report on the adoption of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the U.S. The report summarizes the adoption of herbicide tolerant (HT) and insect resistant (IR) crops. Despite increases in adoption rates of HT and IR varieties, adoption of stacked varieties has accelerated in recent years.

GE HT soybean adoption reached 94 percent of the total soybean in the U.S. in 2017. Adoption of all GE cotton (IR, HT, and stacked) reached 69 percent, and all GE corn accounted for 92 percent of corn acreage in 2017.

The U.S. is the top producer of GE crops in the world in 2016, planting 72.9 million hectares, or approximately 40 percent of the global hectarage of 185.1 million hectares in 2016 alone.

The report Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S. is available on the ERS website.