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Paul Aasness


Major Crops: Soybeans, corn, wheat

Farm Size: 450 acres (180 hectares)

Years Farming: 50+

First Planted Biotech Crops: 1997

Favorite Benefits: Increased yields. Reduced pesticide spraying.  Safety for wildlife.

Family: Married, four children, eight grandchildren

We are able to produce an awful lot of safe food for a lot of people in the world.
We are able to produce an awful lot of safe food for a lot of people in the world.
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Video Transcript


Actually, I’ve been a farmer all my life. ... In fact, my first fieldwork was with a team of horses – believe it or not. ... And in one generation, going from that – to the point where we’ve got, you know, a combine with a 35-foot head. It’s hooked to a GPS and does mapping – in one lifetime.

Frankly, what have I done to produce that?  Nothing.  Private companies have developed that for my use... There are people that are working for me every day. ...

... For 20 years, we’ve suffered, you know, severely with corn borer. ... I sprayed one year, okay?  And got an immediate 20 bushel increase in yield.  And shortly after that, in fact, I didn’t want to spray anymore because we are next to a lot of lakes and rivers. ...

And then, we found out ... we can purchase a corn that protects the corn from the European corn borer – Bt corn.  And started raising it.  And wow, I got the same yield increase as I did when I sprayed it.

And the Bt only affects the corn borer.  Doesn’t affect anything else.  Doesn’t affect the frogs, the birds, the honeybees – anything else that’s in the area.  A lot of very beneficial insects – doesn’t affect them.  But, we get the same yield without affecting the environment. ...

Matter of fact, the way we’re farming now is far better to the environment.  We are not using harsh chemicals like we used to. ... We aren’t seeing the washing of soil.  We aren’t seeing the blowing of soil.  And all these things are coming about because of biotech.  We don’t have to till the ground.  We don’t have to work the ground so much to work out the weeds.

Phyllis Aasness

The only thing it hasn’t taken care of is all the rocks in the field.

Paul Aasness

I hadn’t thought about that.

... Biotech is an important tool.  A farmer nowadays ... has to take every tool he can, every advantage he can. ...

As far as the drying charges, I mean, you can imagine with the cost of energy today, what it would cost. ... But now with Bt corn, you can let it stand.  You can let it stand.  That’s Bt corn out there.  You can let it stand, and let it dry down. ... I’ve got it pre-sold and can haul it directly to the elevator.  And that’s a tremendous savings. ...

And it just works.  That’s why farmers are adopting very, very quickly...

So, it’s surprising and disheartening to me to see people who oppose the advantages that we farmers have by using biotech and GMO, when it benefits the environment more and is not hazardous to human consumption.

Phyllis Aasness

What he’s working on isn’t to benefit himself... But it’s just to benefit – not only us as producers, but – those as consumers, and everything for generations to come.

Paul Aasness

Just doing the right thing. ...

... If I knew that biotech was hazardous to the environment or to humans, I wouldn’t raise it. ... I don’t know of any farmer that wants to raise anything that is gonna damage the environment.  They just won’t raise it.  Or for human consumption.  Just won’t raise it.  But the science is behind us. ...

... All the research, all the data, everything that we have at our disposal is in our favor.  There is no damage. ... Believe in solid science, believe in facts, believe in truth. ...

We are able to produce an awful lot of safe food for a lot of people in the world.

© 2006 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.