Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 14826 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2016 the public about GMOs. It’s a multimil- lion dollar website that invites anyone to ask any question they have about GMOs, biotechnology and the seed industry, and they get a personal answer from some- one within the industry. Those questions and answers are compiled and search- able on GMOanswers.com, which is funded by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and includes members BASF, Bayer, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont, Monsanto and Syngenta. ASTA is also a supporter of the site. While GMO Answers puts the spot- light on scientists, plant breeders, com- pany executives and those personally involved in the business, U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) focuses on farmers. USFRA consists of more than 90 farmer- and rancher-led organizations and agricultural partners representing virtually all aspects of agriculture. The goal is to help connect consumers with their food and provide farmers a plat- form to talk about production methods and issues of importance. And the seed industry, too, is supportive of this initia- tive. Supporters include Beck’s, Syngenta, BASF, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto. Also trying to help consumers sort fact from fiction is the Genetic Literacy Project, which “explores the intersection of DNA research and real world appli- cations of genetics with the media and policy worlds to disentangle science from ideology.” It is committed to promoting Opinion Differences Between Public and Scientists Percent of U.S. adults and AAAS scientists saying each of the following Biomedical sciences Safe to eat genetically modified foods Favor use of animals in research Safe to eat foods grown with pesticides Humans have evolved over time Childhood vaccines such as MMR should be required 51 POINT GAP 42 40 33 18 U.S. ADULTS AAAS SCIENTISTS 37% 47% 28% 65% 68% 88% 89% 68% 98% 86% Biomedical sciences Climate change is mostly due to human activity Growing world population will be a major problem Favor building more nuclear power plants Favor more offshore drilling Astronauts essential for future of U.S. space program Favor increased use of bioengineered fuel Favor increased use of fracking Space station has been a good investment for U.S. 37 POINT GAP 23 20 20 12 10 8 4 50% 59% 45% 32% 47% 68% 31% 64% 87% 82% 65% 52% 59% 78% 39% 68% Survey of U.S. adults August 15-25, 2014. AAAS scientists survey Sept. 11-Oct. 13, 2014. Other responses and those saying don’t know or giving no answer are not shown. Pew Research Center “I think real damage is being done by not having significant enough margins to support research … we need those same funds to be able to afford to educate.” — Alan Hirsch public awareness and constructive dis- cussion of genetics, biotechnology, evolu- tion and science literacy. It is a 501(c)(3) and is supported by non-partisan founda- tions and organizations. All three of these projects help connect seed industry representatives, scientists, and farmers and ranchers with consumers and those looking for answers. Crossover: From Communication to Education Once the conversation has been started and there’s a common trust between parties, then that’s when there’s a real opportunity for education. There’s no shortage of educational topics that need to be tackled — the importance of plant breeders, the role of cover crops, and the benefits of turf, to name a few. But this too requires resources and funding, something that not all seed industry sec- tors have available. Alan Hirsch, vice president of con- sumer products for Barenbrug USA, says that one of the key challenges is securing profit margins to allow for research and education.