When I was 16 and first got my driver’s license, my father sternly explained to me that along with my new right to drive a car came an immense amount of responsibility. I would be responsible for keeping the vehicle well maintained, paying its expenses, and most importantly, I would have to be responsible on the road, knowing that other people’s well-being was in my hands. The Board of Pesticide Control should apply this concept as it makes rules regarding Maine farmers’ newly acquired right to grow Bt corn. With the right to grow Bt corn, there should also be responsibilities.

Last July, the BPC gave Maine farmers the right to use Bt corn, and Maine became the last state in the country to let this technology into the fields. Much as I got to watch many of my friends and peers blunder through their first fender-benders and speeding tickets, Maine should be able to benefit from taking a cautious approach. Bt corn has been on the market for only 10 years, which in the land of agriculture makes it younger than an angst-ridden teen. As evidenced by the recent study on Bt corn’s negative effects on aquatic ecosystems, there is still a lot we need to learn to safely operate this new technology in the environment.

Through rulemaking, the BPC should assign responsibilities to accompany the right to grow Bt corn. Just as it is the responsibility of every driver to keep in their lane, it should be the responsibility of the Bt grower to provide an adequate buffer zone around the Bt crop. This buffer zone should be sufficient to prevent their Bt corn from an unfortunate collision in the form of cross-pollination with a nearby field of non-Bt corn, organic corn, or seed corn.

Just as attending driver’s education classes reduces young driver’s likelihood of getting into an accident, Bt growers should have to attend an annual training on the responsible use of Bt corn. This training should include extensive information on alternative pest management techniques, as well as information about the potential risks that Bt corn poses to other farmers and the environment.

Just as turn signals and brake lights communicate to other drivers what we are doing on the road, Bt growers should be responsible for notifying all their neighbors that they are growing Bt corn to allow people to take measures to protect themselves from unwanted contamination.

At the BPC’s public hearing on the draft rules on Nov. 16, the board heard from many folks on all sides of the issue with passionate views. Significantly, every single person under the age of 30 who testified – and there were a lot of them – asked the board to make extremely strong rules regulating the use of Bt corn.

Many young farmers cited concerns about the effect that Bt corn would have on the future of their farming enterprises. These farmers explained to the BPC that many of their customer relationships are built on trust, and the potential for cross-contamination from Bt corn threatens that trust. One young organic dairy farmer told the board that he wanted to be a dairy farmer for the rest of his life, and the uncontrolled use of Bt corn on farms around him would limit his options for managing his farm. Another young farmer reminded the BPC that Maine is one of the few states in the country where the average age of farmers is going down. She said that this statistic was good cause to move slowly and cautiously with any new technology such as Bt corn that could significantly impact the future of farming in Maine.

There are basic common sense responsibilities that the BPC should attach to the right to grow a crop that can potentially harm other farmers and the environment. Whenever we operate a vehicle we have to follow certain rules that are designed to protect everyone on the road. When farmers grow Bt corn, they should also have to follow rules designed to protect others.

As my Dad always said, “With rights come responsibilities.”

Logan Perkins is an organizer with Protect Maine Farmers in Thorndike.