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Scott Mundell

Senior Compliance Manager, DuPont Pioneer

Expert Bio

Growing up, my family operated a small corn and soybean farm in north central Indiana. I was active in FFA and knew I wanted a career in agriculture. That desire became a reality when after earning my bachelor’s of science in biochemistry from Purdue University, I joined DuPont Pioneer. I started out looking to discover novel traits for insect control. In 1999, I took on a new role for Pioneer, overseeing compliance of our regulated field trials for crops containing GMOs. I currently lead biotechnology compliance globally for all crops. My favorite thing about this job is the tremendous impact I can make on the health and welfare of people around the world by helping ensure they have access to safe and affordable food. In my free time I like to hang out with friends and family, and like many of us, take a nice vacation and forget about work on occasion.

Studies, Articles and Answers

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Showing 6 out of 6 results

Question

Q: Have GMO seeds, unknowingly, cross-contaminated with non-GMO crops?

Answered By Scott Mundell - Jan 31, 2014

A: The answer to your question depends on the crop. Since soybeans and corn are the two most commonly planted GM crops in the United States, I’ll focus on those crops. Soybeans are nearly 100 percent self-pollinating, so there is little risk of cross-pollination or pollen flow. For corn, numerous factors impact the likelihood of cross-pollination occurring: First, corn pollination occurs during a short, approximately one-week period, and that one-week period would have to overlap between two neighboring fields for there to be any cross-pollination.In addition, corn pollen is relatively [...]

Business Practices GMOs & Farmers

Question

Q: Given that one cannot grow an organic corn crop near GMO corn due to cross pollination, how are Indiana farmers supposed to legally produce an organic corn crop?Are your companies (DOW, Monsanto, ADM) open to reserving areas of the state as GMO free to al

Answered By Scott Mundell - Jan 31, 2014

A: It is possible for organic corn production and GM corn production to coexist in the same area. In fact, there are many farmers who raise both organic and GM corn crops. It is one of the great things about U.S. agriculture―there are markets and opportunities for all types of production practices, and farmers have a history of working together to manage crops appropriately. There are a number of well-researched and documented good management practices that help limit pollen flow between fields, including planting at recommended separation distances and timing the planting so that pollinati [...]

Business Practices GMOs & Farmers

Question

Q: Will cross-pollination effect other non-GMO crops? And if there are two fields next to each other, one GMO and one non-GMO; what is the likelihood of them cross-pollinating?

Answered By Scott Mundell - Jan 31, 2014

A: It's a long journey between GM and non-GM plants coexisting and the potential cross-pollination you're concerned about:   First, a plant can only pollinate another closely related plant. So, for example, corn can pollinate corn, but not soybeans. Also, pollen movement varies by crop. Corn and soybeans are the most widely planted GM crops in the United States, so we’ll focus there. Soybeans are nearly 100 percent self-pollinating, meaning there is little risk of cross-pollination or pollen flow from a field of GM soybeans to non-GM soybeans. Corn pollination occurs during a sh [...]

Business Practices GMOs & Farmers

Question

Q: How does GMO manufacturers deal with DRIFTING? Drifting occurs when patented GMO seeds blow in an organic farmer's crop and contaminate it. Since GMOs are patented how does that help farmers if they face litigation from a natural occurrence of drifting? H

Answered By Scott Mundell - Jan 31, 2014

A: The issue of pollen flow has been important to seed companies and scientists for years. Because corn is an open pollinating plant, it is important to our business to understand how far pollen travels and under what conditions. Managing that pollen flow is important to developing new hybrids and producing a high quality seed crop – regardless of whether that seed is GM or not. We’re not aware that organic certification has ever been revoked due to the inadvertent presence of GM material in an organic crop. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as long as an organic grower has not i [...]

Business Practices GMOs & Farmers

Question

Q: We've been told time and time again by various biotech companies that GM crops can be contained to a specific area. How is it that more and more fields of heirloom Maize in Mexico have been contaminated with GMO corn? What are you doing to combat GMO co

By Joshua Price - Jan 31, 2014

A: I’m not aware of the situation you reference in your first question. But I do know that cross-pollination between commercial hybrids and native varieties has occurred since the advent of commercial hybrids and is a natural process. Mexican growers have improved native varieties by selecting traits best suited to their production requirements, including traits introduced through commercial maize hybrids. However, native seed varieties also are preserved and stored both internationally and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture seed banks. DuPont Pioneer helps fund the international germplasm ba [...]

Answered By Scott Mundell - Feb 03, 2014

A: I’m not aware of the situation you reference in your first question. But I do know that cross-pollination between commercial hybrids and native varieties has occurred since the advent of commercial hybrids and is a natural process. Mexican growers have improved native varieties by selecting traits best suited to their production requirements, including traits introduced through commercial maize hybrids. However, native seed varieties also are preserved and stored both internationally and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture seed banks. DuPont Pioneer helps fund the international germplasm ba [...]


Question

Q: I am unconvinced that GMO crops can be contained when it comes to cross-pollination of surrounding crops. Given the number of lawsuits that have been won by the big corporations for GMO seed traits in non-GMO seed, isn't GMO pollen being spread by the wi

Answered By Scott Mundell - Jan 31, 2014

A: Seed companies, university researchers and others have been studying corn pollen for years. In fact, understanding pollen movement is critical at Pioneer to develop new corn hybrids, maintain the purity of parent seed and research plots, and produce seed crops each year. We know that similar maturities of corn, planted during a similar timeframe, in fields that are located close to one-another would have the potential for a low level of cross-pollination. But we also know that with best management practices, a high degree of purity can be achieved. Examples of these best management practices [...]

Business Practices GMOs & Farmers