Auburn, June 1---Five years ago, things looked bleak for many cotton farmers.

Pesticide-resistant tobacco budworms, a perennial cotton pest, were chewing a hole in cotton yields and profits. Pyrethroid insecticides, the class of chemicals used to control worm outbreaks, had become largely ineffective.

Farmers were desperate for something – anything – to restore their yields and profitability.

Then along came Bt cotton, a cotton plant developed by Monsanto Corporation to resist certain common pests, including tobacco budworms.

Facing financial ruin, many farmers, almost on a whim, turned to Bt cotton in droves, hoping this would be the magic elixir that would reverse sagging profits and yields.

Their decision has paid rich dividends ever since, two experts contend.

Research compiled by Drs. Ron Smith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System entomologist, and Roger Leonard, an entomology professor with the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center, reveals that the widespread adoption of Bt cotton appears to have played a major role pulling many farmers from the brink of bankruptcy.

"A farmer’s first impulse when faced with challenge is to cut production," Smith says. "Unfortunately, in 1996, there was very little left to cut."

Frequent applications of synthetic insecticides, a fact of life for many cotton producers especially before the adoption of Bt cotton, comprised a huge share of operating costs.

However, with the adoption of Bt cotton, farmers have been able to make drastic reductions in production costs.

How much? By planting this new cotton, Smith and Leonard estimate farmers have been able to make reductions of more than 41,000 10-hour farm-work days and 2,100 10-hour days of aerial spraying.

"Taken as a whole, we estimate the lower production costs and increased yields associated with Bt cotton have provided farmers with almost $170 million in economic benefits," Smith says. "And this comes at a time in farming when even the smallest degree of savings can mean the difference between solvency and bankruptcy."

However, the financial gains farmers have made from planting the new crop is only part of the story.

"Research shows farmers and consumers alike are also reaping huge financial gains from the new technology," Smith says. "For example, the reduced need for synthetic pesticides means producers are applying about 1 million fewer pounds of insecticides, enabling farmers to reduce long-term risks to soil, water and air pollution."

Smith and Leonard also estimate that Bt cotton has led to savings of more than 2.4 million gallons of fuel and more than 93 million gallons of water that otherwise would be used in the production of insecticides.

Also, as the need for insecticides decreases, so have demands for fossil fuels required for their production, Smith says.

"Studies reveal the use of these new crops has resulted in savings of more than 3.4 million pounds of raw materials and more than 1.4 million pounds of fuel that otherwise would be used in the manufacture of these new products," Smith says.

"Since it also costs money to store and transport synthetic insecticides, the reduced demand for these chemicals also has resulted in savings of more than 604,000 additional gallons of fuel oil," he adds.

Also, using insectides requires farmers to dispose of vast quantities of used plastic containers. However, using Bt cotton, farmers are now disposing of more than 400,000 fewer containers.

The two researchers also have discovered the technology is providing numerous benefits for wildlife.

"Many synthetic insecticides, after all, are manufactured from chemicals that, because of their resistance to microbial decomposition, linger in the environment – a major concern among environmentalists because of their threat to plant and animal life," Smith says.

"However, with Bt cotton, the pesticide effect is contained only in the plant and is targeted only to specific pests. As a result, the lingering effects associated with synthetic chemicals is eliminated."

Bt cotton also has enabled farmers to resolve one other persistent problem associated with synthetic pesticides, Smith says. Synthetic insecticides, in addition to eliminating targeted pests, eliminated many beneficial insects that otherwise would be available to prey on cotton pests.

"One of the first things cotton producers began to notice after adopting Bt cotton was how many more of these beneficial insects were available throughout the growing season," Smith says.

(Source:  Dr. Ronald Smith, Alabama Cooperative Extension System entomologist.)