Corn Growers Meet With Secretary Glickman to Urge USDA to Abandon Terminator
Technology

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Corn Growers Association
(ACGA), met with Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman last Thursday to
encourage the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to abandon the research and
development of the Terminator technology.  USDA holds a co-patent for this
technology with Delta & Pine Land Company.

Terminator is the name given to a genetic engineering technique that renders
second generation seed sterile, preventing farmers from keeping back seed
for the next growing season.  This technique forces farmers to purchase new
seed every year.

In the meeting, the ACGA expressed disappointment that USDA would use public
dollars to help develop a technology that is not in the best interest of nor
benefit to production agriculture.

"The ACGA expects more from our Department of Agriculture. We expect
advocates for farmer rights and wellbeing.  We expect partners working to
expand our domestic and overseas markets.  We expect a resource of valuable
information that can make our farms more profitable.  We DO NOT expect
public funding for research that makes seed sterile," said Gary Goldberg,
Chief Executive Officer of the ACGA.

Among others joining the ACGA at the meeting with the Secretary was the
Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA and the National Family Farm
Coalition. Collectively, the following recommendations were made to the
Secretary:

 -- USDA should cease negotiations with Delta & Pine Land on the licensing
of it's jointly held patent and abandon all research on genetic seed
sterilization, including research grants to university scientists.

- -- USDA should adopt a strict policy prohibiting the use of taxpayer dollars
to support genetic seed sterilization.

- -- USDA should use public research dollars to re-invigorate public plant
breeding for family farmers and sustainable agriculture.

- -- USDA should insure that farmers and citizens are involved in determining
research priorities.

"Having a handful of biotechnology companies controlling the production and
distribution of seed makes farmers hostage to the economic exploitation by
this industry.  We will lose our ability to choose the seeds we want to
plant and the option of holding back that seed for another year," added
Goldberg.

"The ACGA appreciates the time that the Secretary gave to us to discuss this
important issue.  We urge him to address our concerns and re-institute trust
in the USDA as an advocate for production agriculture," concluded Goldberg.

SOURCE  American Corn Growers Association