Video Transcript

My name is José Fernando Gutierrez. … We started farming with 80 hectares. And I would say principally because of the Bollgard technology, we now sow 450 hectares. …

For me, the use of Bollgard and Roundup Ready has been a part of the success, because using this technology we can fight weeds and disease. And in doing so, we can dedicate more time to concerns for which there is no technological solution available yet. …

… When I started to sow conventional cotton, for me the hard part was controlling plagues. Dealing with those issues, you are farming day and night. Fighting the pink worm moth, you have to spread insecticide at night, because that's when it is active. So during that time, you don't see your family much. Then using Bollgard, we could say that we were daytime farmers. Then what we were dealing with were weeds. … Now, with Roundup Ready, this is less of a problem for us. …

… This is a field of conventional cotton. … Here is the cotton plant from among all the weeds. … You can see clearly here why I prefer to sow double-gene Roundup Ready cotton — to avoid these problems. Economically speaking, this field is a total loss. For me, it is not profitable to sow conventional cotton. …

It's better to use Bt and earn more, produce more — rather than have hungry kids. The old ways were less productive. The country has become more productive. …

Having used Bt, it has been of great economic benefit. … Transgenic should be used across the board for corn and alfalfa. …

… When I started in '93, one of my kids was about 3 years old and my daughter was 2. Now I have a 4-year-old daughter. With the two oldest, there was less time available. But now for the youngest, I have more time to spend with her. … Thanks to transgenics, it's actually possible to improve your quality of life. … I enjoy being with her at this age, which I couldn't do with my older kids. …

I can't actually think of any danger in using transgenics. We've worked with it, and there is no harm to anyone. I would tell a person afraid to use transgenics that … working with transgenic cotton, we actually use a lesser concentration of insecticide and fewer applications.

Using Bollgard and Roundup Ready … the cycle becomes shorter and the plant actually blooms faster. Because of that, less irrigation is needed, and therefore less water is used. So that's a benefit. … The water becomes more productive.

For someone who wants to use the new technology, they should do it. They will save time — don't worry about the price. Safety has a price. Security has a price. But peace of mind is priceless.

Editor's Notes:

• Bollgard® cotton contains a protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that protects cotton plants from specific lepidopteron insect pests. Bollgard® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company.
• Roundup Ready® varieties contain in-plant tolerance to Roundup® agricultural herbicides. Roundup® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company.
• Pesticides registered by the U.S. EPA will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on man or the environment, when used in accordance with label directions.
• 1 hectare = 2.5 acres

© 2007 Monsanto Company. All rights reserved. The copyright holder consents to the use of this material and the images in the published context only and solely for the purpose of promoting the benefits of agricultural biotechnology.