68 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2018 Exploring ideas and views on all aspects of the seed industry. ADOPTION OF BIOTECH CROPS REACHES NEW HIGH In 2017, farmers around the world planted 189.8 million hectares (about 469 million acres) of biotech crops, a new record as reported by Paul Teng, board chair of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, at a meeting in July. This number comes from organization’s latest annual report, “The Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2017.” Just as the number of acres have increased, so has farm income. In the past 21 years (1996-2016), global farm income gains contributed by biotech crops mounted to $186.1 billion, benefitting more than 17 million farmers, of which 95 percent are from developing countries. Teng expects that trend to continue, noting the importance of regulations. “Science-based regulations are very important. If we cannot use science, we have no ground to stand on,” he says. “It cannot be based on perceptions alone as they are often proven wrong. Science is what we have in the moment as a tool to show that something is credible.” LESS LAND ON THE MARKET IN EASTERN CORN BELT In the Eastern Corn Belt, the trend of less land on the market continues. Roger Hayworth, Farmers National Company area sales manager for the region says the market is basically stable. Prices for good quality tillable acres are steady in most areas. Lower quality land is steady to slightly lower as there is less demand for these farms. Hayworth sees a slight switch from public auctions as the preferred method for selling a farm to having more private treaty listings as buyers become more cautious in their land purchases. Those selling land at this time are predominately trusts and beneficiaries. Very few sales from farm operator financial stress have been seen so far. Farmer and local investors buy most all the good quality cropland that comes up for sale. Larger investors are in the market, but they are measured in their land purchases. “We believe land buyers are being more cautious right now in making large purchases, but in Michigan, Farmers National Company has experienced strong interest in farms that we have sold to date. Our agents in Michigan report good interest in cropland that hasn’t been on the market for a while,” Hayworth says. 5 BREAKTHROUGHS TO HELP ADDRESS FOOD CHALLENGES A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine identifies the most promising scientific breakthroughs that are possible to achieve in the next decade to increase the U.S. food and agriculture system’s sustainability, competitiveness and resilience. “In the coming decade, the stresses on the U.S. food and agricultural enterprise won’t be solved by business as usual — either in the field or in our current research efforts,” says Susan Wessler, Neil and Rochelle Campbell Presidential Chair for Innovations in Science Education and distinguished professor of genetics at the University of California, Riverside. “At this time in history with an expanding global population requiring more from an increasingly fragile natural resource base, science breakthroughs are needed more now than ever for food and agriculture. ” The five recommendations include: using a systems approach to leverage an increase in efficiency, resilience and sustainability; developing highly sensitive, field-deployable sensors for monitoring capabilities; applying and integrating data sciences, software tools and systems models for advanced analytics; carrying out routine gene editing of important crops; and using the microbiome to improve crop production.