A new agreement between sellers of Bt seed and the EPA reinforces the importance of properly allotted refuge acres for Bt crops. The agency's stance is simple: Follow the rules or don't grow it.

In this brave new world of biotechnology and all the ripples it has made through society, don't be surprised that the Environmental Protection Agency is interested in how you plant a biotech corn crop. Bt corn varieties, in their vegetative state, produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), and by that virtue, are lumped into the EPA's purview of pesticides.

To that end, and specifically in the interest of preventing Bt-resistant pests, the EPA and a consortium of Bt-product registrants came up with a set of insect resistance management (IRM) requirements in 1999. The new agreement between the regulators and sellers of Bt products spells out how to enforce the IRM measures.

The enforcement measures, known as CAP, for Compliance Assurance Program, stipulate that growers who don't meet IRM requirements for 2 consecutive years won't be allowed to purchase Bt corn in the third year. Those requirements include maintaining at least a 20 percent non-Bt corn refuge. Moreover, the refuge fields must be within 1/2 mile of their Bt partner fields.

To enforce the refuge standards, each year, Bt corn growers will need to sign a stewardship agreement before receiving Bt seed corn. It's likely that dealers will be thorough in getting this paperwork because they, along with the seed company and registrants of the technology, can lose their rights to sell Bt products if they aren't ensuring that growers are educated and informed about the IRM requirements.

In the agreement with the EPA, registrants of Bt corn agree to sponsor an independent, third-party survey that measures how closely the IRM requirements are adhered to. Moreover, seed companies are required to train their representatives to assess non-compliance in the country.

Ron Utterback, MFA vice president, crop protection, said that successful growers manage and protect the assets in their farming enterprise. He said to consider biotech protocol analogous to more mundane maintenance. Farmers service equipment with preventative maintenance according to manufacturer's recommendations in order to prolong its usability.

"Bt corn is an asset just like our tractors and combines," he said. "Why not consider it with the same preventative measures to prolong its use? Working together as an industry and following management practices will help assure the continued use of this valuable asset."

IRM requirements as set by EPA in 2001

• A Bt grower must plant a 20 percent non-Bt corn refuge, except in certain cotton growing areas where at least 50 percent non-Bt refuge is required.
• Refuge planting options include: blocks within fields; strips across the field at least 4 rows wide (preferably 6 rows wide); or as separate fields.
• Bt corn fields must be planted within 1/2 mile (preferably 1/4 mile) of a refuge.