2008 OECD Corn Evaporates

In 2008, the OECD program changed Illinois Crop dramatically as Europe continued to resist biotechnology. Major companies no longer saw a need to position seed corn for export channels. Illinois Crop’s seed corn inspection program boasted 117,446 acres under active inspection or audit status. The following year, seed corn acres dropped to 2,515 due largely to resistance to biotechnology in export markets for seed. Quality assurance acres remained, but the number of corn acres intended for Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) or OECD labels evaporated overnight.