According to this poll, Americans have faith in the system, Bernard said, yet 68 percent of them still want labels and say they are willing to pay for them. Farmer issues Farmers have much to consider as they analyze the costs of planting traditional crops versus genetically enhanced crops, Bernard said. The amount and type of herbicides and pesticides required will depend in part on the type of seed sown and the extent of weed and pest problems. These differences must be calculated into overall production costs as does the cost of the labor to apply these chemicals. Segregating crops can be costly, too, he said, and he cautioned growers not to underestimate the time required to clean equipment between harvests.
Farmers sometimes fail to add in the cost of their labor, and cleaning time is often significant.
Growers must analyze all these costs before reaching what will be the best decision for them.