Harvest is progressing rapidly and new announce-ments from grain buyers (including elevators and pro-cessors) about accepting or not accepting genetically modified (GMO) corn and soybeans keep coming up. These concerns have arisen primarily due to increased consumer resistance to products containing genetically modified ingredients in Europe and Asia in recent weeks.

This sentiment should not be underestimated as U.S. consumers are also becoming more aware of the issue of genetically modified ingredients in human foods. Public awareness has been fueled in part by attacks of radical environementalists who have de-stroyed several GMO crops in research plots around the country, and who have threatened to step up attacks.

Several key points to keep in mind for Indiana producers as they harvest their crops this fall:

1. Farmers should check with their buyers regarding their current GMO buying policy and be aware that this policy could change throughout the marketing year. Most of the major processors have signaled that products must be kept separate. In turn, many eleva-tors and other first purchasers are requesting the same of producers.

2. Farmers should keep GMO and non-GMO corn and beans segregated in their farm storage bins as much as possible in order to (a) take advantage of differential pricing such as premiums for non-GMO beans or STS beans, etc., and (b) avoid being rejected by their buyer should their policy change later in the year. Detailed record keeping that is complete will be critical if any disputes arise about crop purity. Record planting dates, field location and size, seed identity, inputs used, harvest date, crop yield, bin number where crop is stored, date crop is delivered, and the name of the person who delivered the crop and the number of the vehicle used.

3. Farmers should be aware that there is no reliable quick test available yet to detect GMO corn or beans at the first point of sale. Thus, actual testing for GMO germplasm for the 1999 crop will be spotty with heavy reliance on producer representation as to which loads are GMO and which are non-GMO.

4. Farmers should be careful as to what statements they make or NOT make orally (or sign) regarding GMO germplasm in the crops they deliver to the buyer!

According to Dr. Neil E. Harl, Iowa State University Professor and Member of the Iowa Bar, farmers can realistically:

• State that no seed represented by the seed company as GMO seed was planted.

• State that seed represented by the seed company as non-GMO seed was planted.

• State that care was taken in avoiding contamination in har-vesting (combines, grain carts, wagons, trucks), han-dling (pits, legs, cleaners, bins, augers) and hauling equipment (trucks).