Until the issue of trade in genetically modified crops and food products and their labeling is resolved in international trade arenas, and unless consumer resistance to GMOs worldwide lessens, the markets for GMO corn and soybeans will remain uncertain. Farmers who choose to plant these crops should be aware of this market uncertainty. Whether the non-GMO market offers a premium and grows or shrinks over time remains to be seen. Sustainable Management Alternatives One of the ways of increasing the profitability of corn and soybean production is to reduce input costs and increase the drought-hardiness of crops through sustainable management practices. The connection might not be obvious at first but will become so with the understanding that the greatest threat to agricultural sustainability is soil erosion.
Erosion is initiated by raindrop impact on bare soil.
Any management practice that protects the soil from raindrop impact will decrease erosion and increase water entry into the soil. Mulches, cover crops, and crop residues serve this purpose well. These costs do not include the additional costs to society as a whole from reduced air quality, pollution of surface waters, and the dredging of streams and drainage ditches. Erosion is not the sole source of nutrient loss from non-sustainable cropping. There is also significant loss to leaching.