Biotechnology

The term biotechnology could have many different definitions for different people. Biotechnology could mean roundup ready corn or soybeans to a producer who raises corn or soybeans. It could mean black shank resistant plants to the tobacco producer. It could be the development of super weeds to the unwary. To some it may be the way to solve world hunger and malnutrition. Biotechnology changes its term, depending on the person who is using it.

The true definition of biotechnology, “Means any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use” (www.agronomy.unl.edu/biotechnology.html.) Biotechnology is a world phenomenon, which is the result of the growing populations of the world.

Biotechnology has been utilized for centuries in traditional production processes. Biotechnology dates all the way back to cultures such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Iran which developed the process of brewing beer. Modern biotechnology is only about fifty years old and in the last decades it has been witnessing tremendous developments. The term biotechnology was primarily used in the food processing and agriculture industries, before the year 1971. Since the 1970s, it is also being referred to laboratory based techniques being used in biological research. Biotechnology has applications in four major industrial areas, including health care, crop production and agriculture, non food uses of crops, and environmental uses.

When biotechnology is applied to medical processes it is called red biotechnology. Red biotechnology refers to the use of organisms to produce antibiotics or engineering genetic cures through genomic manipulation. When biotechnology is applied to industrial processes it is called white biotechnology. An example of white biotechnology is using enzymes as industrial catalyst to either produce valuable chemicals or destroy hazardous/polluting chemicals. The term blue biotechnology refers to marine and aquatic applications to biotechnology. The use of blue biotechnology is relatively rare. When biotechnology is applied to agricultural process it is called green biotechnology, which is the main focus of this paper.

With an increase in population and a decrease in the amount of land devoted to agriculture, biotechnology crops are growing. Biotechnology has resulted in the mass production of goods and services to help keep up with the growing populations of the world. In the last decade conventional crops, particularly corn, soybeans, and cotton are being replaced by a large number of biotech crops. The acres of land being devoted to Biotech crops are growing steadily in the United States. The increase of biotechnology crops is not only a result of an increase of population, but also an increase of awareness of dangers with the use of pesticides. This graph from the USDA shows the rise in acres planted for five of the major biotech products.

Biotechnology is not only booming in the United States, it is growing worldwide. According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech applications in 1996, when the first biotech crops were commercially grown, seven million acres of biotech crops were grown worldwide. In 2006, 10.3 million farmers in twenty two countries planted a total of 252 million acres of biotech crops. More than half of the global population of 6.5 billion people now live in the twenty two countries where biotech crops are growing, allowing 3.6 billion people to benefit from societal and environmental advantages generated through biotech crops.

While biotechnology is growing across the world and United States, it is also flourishing in the state of Kentucky. In the year 2005 Kentucky Life Sciences Commercialization Program was created. This program works to enhance Kentucky’s current statewide biotechnology commercialization program to better address the needs of their life sciences disciplines and to expand existing biotechnology commercialization efforts. There are over four hundred biotechnology companies located in Kentucky. They are involved in developing new cancer diagnostics, looking for cures to heart disease, biomanufacturing advanced medicines, among many advanced research endeavors. Kentucky is also showing their commitment to advanced agriculture, specifically in the field of nutrigenomics. Governor Ernie Fletcher and Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Gene Strong recently announced the award of a one million dollar grant to Altech, which is a global animal health company based in Nicholasville, Ky. The grant is to assist in building its Center for Animal Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition. This will have a major effect and open a wide variety of opportunities for Kentucky’s agriculture industry.

Kentucky is also reaping benefits from growing biotech corn and soybeans. A 2004 study by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy found that biotech corn and soybean varieties improved Kentucky’s farmer’s income by $12.7 million dollars, and increased food production by nearly $28 million pounds.

Biotechnology is important not only to Kentucky, but to the world. Biotechnology helps in mass production of crops in order to feed the growing population. It has helped to reduce the amount of herbicides and pesticides used, which could be dangerous to the environment. Not only is biotechnology important in the fact it helps in agriculture, but it is also used in the medical and industrial field. Biotechnology has many uses in Kentucky’s agriculture industry, although there are many consumer constraints and concerns dealing with biotechnology.

Biotechnology is prevalent everywhere in today’s society including Kentucky. Biotechnology is not entirely a new concept. It has been in practice for many years. However, we are only discussing the current aspects in this section. Biotechnology ranges from insect control and weed control to growth hormones and genetically modified crop seeds. The following is an attempt to introduce the current status of biotechnology in Kentucky as well as the United States as it pertains to the agricultural field.

Biotechnology allows farmers and other people to increase their crop yields efficiently and therefore they are able to obtain more of a profit from their crops and land. Without biotechnology, we probably would not be able to produce enough food in order to keep the world alive, because of the growing population. Many people seem to think that biotechnology is limited just to crops and plant species, but that is not the case. Biotechnology is used