Gene Editing Opens New Doors for Agriculture

Farmers know better than anyone that agriculture never stands still. Every growing season brings new challenges, whether it’s weather, pests, disease, or rising costs. That’s why innovation and farming go hand in hand. Farmers are constantly looking for better ways to care for our crops, protect our animals, and keep our farms sustainable for the next generation.

Take for example last month’s approval of a new gene-edited citrus rootstock designed to help fight citrus greening disease. This new tool is an important step forward for agriculture. For farmers, it’s another example of how innovation can help us tackle problems that once felt impossible to overcome.

Gene Editing Benefits Farmers and Consumers

For generations, farmers have worked to improve crops and livestock through careful breeding and selection. Gene editing allows scientists to build on that work by making those same kinds of changes that otherwise would take decades through traditional breeding.

I think one reason this conversation matters so much is because farmers are being asked to do more with less. We’re facing tighter margins and navigating the pressure from weather and disease. Gene editing offers another tool to help farmers meet those challenges.

Gene editing can help farmers grow crops that are better equipped to withstand drought, insects and disease. It can also help improve livestock health by reducing the threat of devastating illnesses without the need for antibiotics. A good example of that came last year, when the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of gene editing to help pigs resist PRRS, a costly disease with no cure that has caused major losses for pork farmers for decades.

These kinds of advancements can help farmers grow healthier, more sustainable food. At a time when families have a greater interest in healthy food and how it’s produced, farmers need access to tools that help us continue improving the way we grow food.

Gene Editing Fights Disease

The citrus rootstock approval by the Environmental Protection Agency last month is a good example of how gene editing can help agriculture solve real-world problems. Citrus greening has devastated America’s citrus industry for years. Production has dropped dramatically, and many growers have struggled to keep orchards alive. The newly approved rootstock gives farmers another option to help protect trees from the disease while potentially reducing reliance on conventional pesticide applications.

That’s important because crop disease has an impact beyond the farm. Crop losses affect the food supply, food prices, and rural communities that depend on agriculture.

For farmers, innovation isn’t about replacing tradition. It’s about protecting our ability to keep farming. Agriculture has always evolved, and farmers have always adapted. Gene editing is simply another example of how innovation can help us meet the challenges ahead while keeping America’s farms strong.