Virginia Takes Worlds Biggest Corn Harvest form Iowa --and its all Organic

[Skyfarmr]

http://washingtonexaminer.com/record-virginia-takes-worlds-biggest-corn-harvest-from-iowa-and-its-all-organic/article/2541046

While the title of this article as it appears on SOTT.net ends with "--and it's all organic", the original article's title does not contain it.
Whether this was SOTT's editors addition is not clear, it does make the title much more intriguing. I was just about to forward this to an organic farmer friend who gives many seminars and tours on his farm on how to build up the soil, but then hesitated after reading the full article linked to The Washington Examiner's webpage.

Apparently, this important tidbit was omitted in the article posted on SOTT, which would negate the title inclusion "and it's all organic".

A spokesman for the firm originally told Secrets that the whole process was done organically. “This is a yield with historic implications that was grown using CERTIFIED ORGANIC seed, soil and foliar treatments,” he emailed.

But since the story ran, experts have indicated that Hula used modified seed--technically not organic. A blog post on the National Corn Grower’s Association site said, “The Biovante soil treatment Hula used may qualify as an organic treatment, but none of his other practices would qualify as organic. Like the vast majority of corn growers, he planted corn hybrids that contain biotechnology, used synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides. Organic production practices would not allow the use of any one of these tools.

After reading through some of the comments, these links were easily found:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/DuPont_Pioneer/NCGA_Corn_Yield_2013/prweb11442068.htm

DuPont Congratulates David Hula for Breaking Corn Yield World Record with Pioneer® Brand Hybrid P2088YHR in 2013 NCGA Corn Yield Contest
Growers Planting Pioneer® Brand Hybrids Win Eight National Titles in 2013 Contest

Des Moines, IA (PRWEB) December 20, 2013

DuPont congratulates David Hula of Charles City, Va., for breaking the corn yield world record with Pioneer® brand hybrid P2088YHR in the 2013 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Corn Yield Contest announced today. Winning the No-Till/Strip-Till Irrigated category, David Hula produced an entry of 454.98 bushels per acre, the highest mark ever recorded by the NCGA in its annual contest.

I'm curious as to how the title got changed when posted on SOTT to insinuate this record was achieved using 'organic' methods, and why the above quote was omitted, which would have clearly discredited the record being achieved through organic farming practices.


From there, looking up Pioneer® brand hybrid P2088YHR, one can find this description:
https://www.pioneer.com/home/site/us/products/profile-perf?smo=MHG&productLine=010&language=01&productCode=P2088AM&ts=AM,LL,RR2

TECHNOLOGY SEGMENT: AM1 - Optimum® AcreMax® 1 Insect Protection System with an integrated corn rootworm refuge solution includes HXX, LL, RR2. Optimum AcreMax 1 products contain the LibertyLink® gene and can be sprayed with Liberty® herbicide.
[snip]
The major component contains the Agrisure® RW technology, the YieldGard® Corn Borer gene, and the Herculex® XTRA genes. YGCB,HX1,LL,RR2(Optimum® Intrasect®) - Contains the YieldGard® Corn Borer gene and Herculex® I gene for resistance to corn borer. YGCB,HXX,LL,RR2 (Optimum® Intrasect® XTRA) - Contains the YieldGard® Corn Borer gene and the Herculex XTRA genes for resistance to corn borer and corn rootworm. CHR (Optimum® TRIsect®) - Contains the Herculex I gene for above-ground pests and the Agrisure® RW trait for resistance to corn rootworm. HX1 - Contains the Herculex® I Insect Protection gene which provides protection against European corn borer, southwestern corn borer, black cutworm, fall armyworm, western bean cutworm, lesser corn stalk borer, southern corn stalk borer, and sugarcane borer; and suppresses corn earworm [...ad nauseum]

Perhaps it was unintentional, but it makes me wonder whether it (the title change) has more to do with Biovante trying to "green wash" their GM-linked brand with the aid of slick journalism, ...(ahem) without upsetting the Biotech apple cart, or rather, GM corn wagon.