By Dan Black, Idaho Press-Tribune via Checkbiotech

The buzz at this year’s annual Snake River Sugarbeet Conference centers on genetically modified beets.

They require less herbicide than traditional beets, but have been controversial in some countries.

Scientific and marketing presentations about genetic modifications dominated the first day at the conference, which continues today at the Nampa Civic Center.

About 600 growers registered for the event, according to Tammie Keeth, a research technician at the University of Idaho, which helps sponsor the event. Other sponsors include Amalgamated Sugar Co. and 12 beet grower associations and businesses in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Biotechnology in recent decades has allowed scientists to engineer plants with specific traits — ones that couldn’t ordinarily be bred into a species. In the case of sugar beets, the trait includes resistance to powerful herbicides. That allows a farmer to spray an entire field, leaving only the beets healthy.

The product most talked about at the conference is “Roundup Ready” sugar beet seed, which is specially designed to work with the herbicide Roundup.

Joe Freiburger, a seed salesperson from Betaseed in Rupert, said growers and seed suppliers are “ready to get going” planting genetically modified seed.

The growing community largely accepts the genetically modified seed as safe, dependable and more profitable, Freiburger said. Growers will likely only have to apply herbicide once or twice, he said, instead of the typical four or five applications. That saves gasoline and labor.

The only delay, Freiburger said, is from sugar processors and buyers. Those companies want to make sure consumers are ready to accept sugar from genetically modified beets. Amalgamated Sugar officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Freiburger said test plots will be grown in Idaho this season, and Amalgamated will process a batch at the end of the processing campaign after the next harvest.

A presentation Thursday by Molly Cline, senior director of global industry affairs with Monsanto, told the growers that genetically modified sugar has been tested, government approved and needs only be accepted by processors before its use becomes as widespread as genetically modified soy, corn and cotton.

Those commodities have been grown using genetically modified seed for 10 years, she said, and there have been no negative repercussions.

Monsanto is the company that owns both Roundup and the license to distribute Roundup Ready beet seed.

Genetically modified seed has been controversial in many countries, as growers and public officials have expressed concern about genetically modified plants cross-pollinating with weeds to make “super-weeds” and generally making growers more dependent on multinational companies for chemical solutions.

Cline pointed out that genetically modified products are allowed in 21 countries, and research is ongoing in 63 more countries. Even the European Union, which has traditionally been an ardent opponent of genetically modified products, is continuing its research.

“The European system is moving,” she said.

The sugar from genetically modified beets is chemically the same as that grown from traditional beets, leaving no DNA trace from the biotechnology process. As such, she said, it requires no special labeling in North America and in Japan.

Studies also cleared beet feed for stock animals and molasses, Cline said, so its use will likely become widespread.

Copyright 2005 Idaho Press-Tribune