ERS Reports Continued Increase in Farmer Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops

Farmer adoption of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the US continued to rise in 2025, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) agricultural survey.

GE seeds were first introduced to American farmers in 1996, and their adoption grew rapidly across the country. Most modified crops are engineered with two key traits: tolerance to weedkillers and built-in protection against insect pests, the latter often using a natural soil bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis. While seeds were initially developed with just one of these features, farmers now increasingly plant stacked seeds that offer both weed and pest protection in a single plant. According to USDA data, GE varieties accounted for over half of all corn, cotton, and soybean acreage in the US by 2008, a figure that has climbed to more than 90 percent today.

Although scientists have created crops designed to withstand drought, viruses, and fungi, or to provide boosted levels of protein, healthy oils, and vitamins, weed control and pest resistance remain the most widely used features in US agriculture. GE crops are also used to grow alfalfa, canola, and sugar beets, but corn, cotton, and soybeans make up the vast majority of all GE farmland in the US.

Read more from USDA ERS.