USDA reports more than 90 percent of soybean, cotton, and corn acres planted by U.S. farmers use genetically engineered seeds

Date:10-08-2024

Genetically engineered seeds were commercially introduced for major field crops in the United States in 1996, with adoption rates increasing rapidly in the years that followed. 

The most planted trait types of genetically engineered seeds are herbicide tolerant (HT) and insect resistant (Bt). These traits can be added individually to seeds or combined into in a single seed, called stacked seed traits. 

USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) reports information on genetically engineered HT and Bt crops in the data product Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S. These data show that by 2008 more than 50 percent of corn, cotton, and soybean acres were planted with genetically engineered seeds using at least one trait—a number that has risen to 90 percent as of 2024. 

Although traits other than Bt have been developed, such as virus, fungus, or drought resistance, and enhanced protein, oil, or vitamin content, HT and Bt traits are the most commonly used in U.S. crop production. While HT seeds are also widely used in alfalfa, canola, and sugar beet production, most genetically engineered acres are planted to three major field crops: corn, cotton, and soybeans. 

This chart appears in the ERS topic page Biotechnology, updated in August 2024.