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- Growers Respond to Challenges
of Bt Sweet Corn Production
In response to the March Question of the Month, “Is growing Bt sweet corn an option for you?”, Amos Fischer, Buckview Produce in Quarryville, Pa. wrote:
“We would probably try growing Bt sweet corn if conditions were not so restrictive. I understand we would need to grow 40 acres of bi-color corn.
We have a roadside stand. Sell a few varieties of white corn, not much bi-color. At present we grow around 15 acres of corn.”
Bill Hanna from Quigley Farm in Whiteford, Md. wrote:
“Growing Bt sweet corn is not an option for me, but a necessity. I tried a test plot last year and positively could not find one undesirable ear. The cost of the seed is higher, sure, but it most definitely will moderate as more farmers try it and accept it. In my operation, the costs of several sprays and their timeliness of application are higher and riskier than the Bt seed costs and the public acceptance of a worm free product”.
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