Discovery of StarLink in Corn Crop Ruins Farmers' 150,000 Bushel Sale

Jerri Stroud

RANTOUL, ILL. - A week ago, Steve and Bernie Gordon thought they had nailed down a deal to sell a 50-car trainload of corn from their central Illinois farm at a premium price.

Then they got a letter from Garst Seed Co.

Now they may not be able to sell the corn for anything but a steep discount.

"I've lost $ 40,000," said Bernie Gordon, 46, who has been farming with his brother for 22 years.

The letter, dated Nov. 29, informed the Gordons that some StarLink bioengineered corn had been mixed into bags of seed the Gordons purchased and planted last spring on five of 13 farms they cultivate near Rantoul, in the heart of the Corn Belt, about 180 miles northeast of St. Louis.

Not only was the corn seed the Gordons bought from Garst not supposed to contain StarLink -- a type of genetically engineered corn not approved for human consumption -- it was not supposed to contain any genetically engineered material.

The letter has put the deal for the 150,000-bushel trainload of corn on hold, and at least two nearby elevators say they won't buy the corn if it has StarLink in it.

The Gordons had decided this year to plant only conventional corn -- avoiding genetically engineered corn throughout the 2,200 acres they farm.

Why? "I was afraid that something like this would happen," said Bernie Gordon, referring to a controversy that has prompted many buyers to refuse shipments of StarLink corn.

Hundreds of food products ranging from taco shells to snack foods have been recalled in recent months after traces of the unapproved StarLink have been found in the food supply.

The controversy has depressed the value of corn nationwide and forced farmers to seek testing to prove that their corn is StarLink-free.

StarLink, developed by Aventis Crop Science and licensed to Garst and other seed companies, has been approved only for animal feed and industrial uses. Aventis genetically modified StarLink to produce its own pesticide, a protein known as Cry9C. The protein has been shown to cause allergic reactions in some people. Food processors and some foreign buyers are rejecting corn that contains the protein.

The Gordons planted the Garst seed on just 100 acres. But because they didn't know it contained StarLink, they made no effort to segregate the corn from the rest of their crop. The corn was mixed with corn grown from other seed when it went through the Gordons' grain-drying system.

"I didn't worry about it," said Bernie Gordon.

Now, the Gordons are faced with the prospect of testing each of the 14 steel bins where the corn is stored. The bins -- each as big as a small house -- are scattered among 13 farms within a 20-mile drive of Rantoul.

Even a trace of StarLink can kill a sale to local elevators. The tests being run can detect one kernel of Starlink in every 400 kernels -- about a quarter of a percent.

"We're not licensed to handle StarLink," said Louis Schwing, general manager of Fisher Farmers Grain & Coal Co. of Dewey, Ill., one of four nearby elevator operators.

Schwing says he's heard of one feed buyer in central Illinois buying StarLink for a 25-cent discount from regular prices -- about 40 cents a bushel less than the premium the Gordons had negotiated for the trainload deal.

Schwing was at the Gordons' farm Friday along with a crop inspector who tested the first of the Gordons' bins for the presence of StarLink. The tests came out negative, but Schwing said the elevator could still reject the corn if StarLink is detected in additional tests on each truckload delivered.

"If it shows up, we're toast," Bernie Gordon said.

Fisher Farmers is arranging for testing of the Gordons' grain before it ever leaves the farm. The Gordons will attempt to sell as conventional any corn from the bins that test negative for StarLink.

Many grain elevators are also testing farmers' corn as they bring it in for sale.

Testing at elevators adds 15 to 30 minutes to the wait to deliver each load, and each test costs $ 10.75. If the load is rejected, farmers have to find another buyer -- most likely a buyer of livestock feed. The extra transportation and testing costs can snuff out any hope of making a profit on the load.

"Two months ago, we could have sold the corn, no questions asked," said Steve Gordon, 42. The StarLink contamination raises a host of new questions, including his potential liability under a government loan program.

The Gordons are financially secure enough that the StarLink contamination isn't likely to ruin them.

"We'll survive," Steve Gordon said. "Whatever happens, we'll be able to get rid of the corn. The question is where and at what price."

But the brothers also are worried that the controversy over StarLink will affect farmers' credibility with the American public.

"We try to give people the safest food that we can grow for them," said Bernie Gordon. "We want safe food because we eat it, too."

NOTES:
BIOTECH SAFETY DEBATE To reach reporter Jerri Stroud: E-mail: jerristroud@post-dispatch.com   Phone: 314-862-2146