GRAPHIC: Nearly all cash crops are genetically engineered now

A farmer plants soybeans in Montgomery County, Md., May 12, 2020.

USDA/FPAC video by Preston Keres

More than 90 percent of all corn, cotton and soybeans planted in the U.S. are genetically engineered, according to data from the Department of Agriculture. 

This article is republished from The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. Read the original article here.

The number of crops modified to be herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant has increased dramatically since 2000. 

That year, a quarter of corn planted was genetically engineered. Now, 20 years later, about 92 percent of corn planted is genetically modified. Soybeans and cotton have followed similar trends.

According to the non-profit organization, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, some of the benefits of biotech crops are increasing crop productivity, conserving biodiversity and reducing CO2 emissions.