Increased profits
In general, studies indicate that farmers' profits increase as they adopt GM seeds.
The ERS study found that in most cases there is a statistically significant
relationship between an increase in the use of GM seeds and an increase in net
returns from farming operations.12 For example, the service found that, on
average, GM soybean crops produced a net value of $208.42 per planted acre,
while other crops produced a value of $191.56 per planted acre.13 The service also
found a "significant increase" in net returns for herbicide-tolerant cotton crops and
Bt cotton crops.
Other studies have reached similar results. Studies in Tennessee and Mississippi
found higher returns from herbicide-resistant soybeans than from conventional soybeans. A North Carolina study indicated that GM soybeans yielded $6 more
per acre than traditional varieties.