Bryan Jensen, Dept. of Entomology, Bill Halfman, Division of Extension Monroe County
A new publication, To Bt or Not to Bt: Is That Your Question?, is available online. It is intended to help people progress through the decision-making process if they are considering a switch to conventional, non-Bt corn hybrids. There are a variety of reasons why people may be considering switching to conventional hybrids. Some of these include: local opportunities to capture a price premium for conventional grain, lower primary insect pest numbers in recent years provides an opportunity to save money on seed costs. It is not a simple or straightforward yes/no decision. Rather a process that takes time to consider all the pros and cons and to locate those resources which can help.