April 17, 2002 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates U.S. farmers this spring will plant nearly 90 million acres of genetically modified (GM)
soybeans, corn
and cotton, up more than 10 percent from 2001. Within the past 10 years, the adoption of GM crops has been rapid, and USDA
forecasts 74 percent of soybean acres, 32 percent of corn acres and 71 percent of cotton acres will be planted with biotechnology-derived
varieties this year.

"Biotech crops help us improve our stewardship of the environment," says South Carolina farmer David Winkles, who is planting nearly
400 acres of GM soybeans on his 1,000-acre farm this spring. "They allow me to spray less, plow less and produce a higher quality
crop more efficiently."

For an increasing number of farmers like Winkles, biotech crops with built-in protection against pests and disease, as well as those that
are herbicide tolerant, offer an effective way to control pests, increase yields and protect the environment.

According to the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, insect-resistant corn annually saves between 60 million and 70 million
bushels of corn that otherwise would be lost to insects, and insect-resistant cotton has reduced annual pesticide spraying by 2.7 million
pounds. Further, a study by the American Soybean Association estimates herbicide-tolerant soybeans reduce the amount of plowing
farmers need to do, conserving almost 250 million tons of topsoil and saving about 234 million gallons of fuel.