Sujatha Sankula, author of a report for the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, was cited as writing that as the number of commercially available, genetically modified crops grows, so do the benefits reaped by American farmers, and that competition does not appear to be stealing market share from Creve Coeur, Mo.-based Monsanto Co., the world's leading provider of biotech seeds and traits, adding, "It's not a substitution" of one product for another, and that biotech crops "will be planted on more acreage than before, and therefore there will be more benefits to growers."

The story says that some critics say the ultimate effects of GM crops on human health and the environment are unknown and suspect, but 10 years of use and study have shown no significant harm. Farmers quickly adopted the technology that allows them to cut down on the use of pesticides and herbicides, boost yield and reduce costs.

The study says that in 2004, biotech crops were planted on 118 million U.S. acres, an increase of 11 percent over the previous year, and that growers using these varieties, as opposed to conventional crops, realized an additional $2.3 billion in income last year - largely due to an increase in yield of 6.6 billion pounds and a reduction in pesticide use of 62 million pounds.

The report looked at the use of several GM varieties: herbicide-resistant canola, corn, soybeans and cotton; insect-resistant corn and cotton; and virus-resistant papaya and squash.

Sankula was further cited as saying that each of the benefits - rising farm income, lower production costs and less pesticide use - swelled over the prior year because of the increased acreage.

Donna Winters, a third-generation farmer from Lake Providence, La. whose 3,000-acre farm includes about 1,000 acres of soybeans plus 600 acres each of cotton and canola - all genetically modified -- and who planted the first available biotech crop, Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans, a decade ago, was quoted as saying, "I just know the benefits of it. I know what I've seen on our farm, (including) positive benefits to the environment."

Using biotech crops allows growers to plant without tilling the soil, which reduces costs, soil erosion and dust. That practice, along with the reduced use of pesticides, has made Winters' farm more welcoming to wild life, she said. Species such as wild turkeys, red fox and quail have returned to the area in recent years.

But her true motivation for using GM crops is economic. She estimates a savings of $19 an acre, plus improved yield, in using Roundup Ready soybeans over conventional varieties.