Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics Elton R. Smith Endowment

Production agriculture has absorbed biotechnology innovations since hunter-gatherers began to settle down. Commencing in the 1920s and 1930s, an increasing number of crops entrepreneurship in genetic innovation separated from on-farm activities. As these new businesses focused on taking full advantage of advances in life sciences and data analysis, the breadth of biotechnology applications to agriculture and food markets has expanded and the pace of change has accelerated. Society has struggled when coming to terms with the implications of these technical innovations, leading to a variety of policy issues. ERS chair interests include how these innovations affect on-farm actions and outcomes. Genetically engineered seed has led to controversial marketing agreements,

• Hennessy, D.A., and D.J. Hayes. “Competition and Tying in Agri-Chemical and Seed Markets.” Review of Agricultural Economics, 22(Fall/Winter, 2000):389-406. Link

 posed planting problems for growers,

• Saak, A.E., and D.A. Hennessy. “Planting Decisions and Uncertain Consumer Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crop Varieties.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 84(May, 2002):308-319. Link

substituted for some chemicals and complemented others,

• Hennessy, D.A. “Competition, Externalities, and Input Substituting Technologies.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 84(May, 2002):467-481. Link
• Hennessy, D.A, and A.E. Saak. “State-Contingent Demand for Herbicide-Tolerance Seed Trait.” Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 28(April 2003):1-14. Link

facilitated downstream processing,

• Hennessy, D.A., J.A. Miranowski, and B.A. Babcock. “Genetic Information in Agricultural Productivity and Product Development.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 86(February, 2004):73-87. Link

generated controversy regarding optimal approach to manage the introduction of novel technologies in the presence of uncertainty,

• Hennessy, D.A., and GianCarlo Moschini. “Regulatory Actions Under Adjustment Costs and the Resolution of Scientific Uncertainty.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 88(May, 2006):308-323. Link

and has improved per acre yield,

• Xu, Zheng, D.A. Hennessy, Kavita Sardana, and GianCarlo Moschini. “The Realized Yield Effect of GM Crops: U.S. Maize and Soybean.” Crop Science 53(May, 2013):735-745. Link

Genetically modified crop seed has been on the market for sufficient duration to appeal to data when seeking to understand how these seed have affected on-farm activities and environmental outcomes. Together with others, recent chair activity has involved inquiry into cultivation practices: 

• Perry, E., G. Moschini, and D.A. Hennessy. “Testing for Complementarity: Glyphosate Tolerant Soybeans and Conservation Tillage.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 98(3, 2016):765-784. Link

as well as insecticide and herbicide use:

• Perry, E.D., F. Ciliberto, D.A. Hennessy, and G. Moschini. “Genetically Engineered Crops and Pesticide Use in U.S. Maize and Soybeans.” Science Advances, 2(8, 31 Aug. 2016), e1600850, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600850. Link

.A general audience discussion of how genetic technologies has affected production agriculture is provided in:

• Hennessy, D.A. “Genetic Technologies and the Transformation of Agricultural Production.” Harvard College Review of Environment & Society, Special Issue on Engineering Our Food, Spring 2017, 12-16. Link