The Adoption of Genetically Engineered Alfalfa, Canola and Sugarbeets in the United States

Genetically engineered (GE) varieties of corn, soybeans, and cotton with herbicide-tolerant and/or insect-resistant traits were commercially introduced in the United States in 1996. Twenty years later, most corn, cotton, and soybean farmers use these varieties, and the impacts of adoption have been widely documented. By contrast, relatively little is known about the adoption of GE alfalfa, canola, and sugarbeets, crops that add substantial value to the U.S. agricultural sector. For instance, alfalfa is the fourth largest crop in the United States in terms of acreage and production value. It was also the first widely grown GE perennial to be commercialized. GE alfalfa and GE sugarbeets have been subjects of recent legal controversies. Approximately 18 million acres of alfalfa, with a production value of $10.7 billion, were harvested in the United States in 2013. Alfalfa is the fourth largest crop in the United States (in terms of acreage and production value). South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, and Wisconsin account for 42 percent of national acreage devoted to alfalfa. Approximately 1.3 million acres of canola (an edible version of rapeseed), with a production value of $456 million, were harvested in the United States in 2013. North Dakota, Oklahoma, Montana, Idaho, and Washington accounted for 96 percent of U.S. canola production. Approximately 1.2 million acres of sugarbeets, with a production value of $1.6 billion, were harvested in 2013. Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho, and Michigan accounted for over 80 percent of sugarbeet production in 2013.