Can increased market demands that translate into higher prices prompt enough wheat to be grown in the future to feed a growing global population, or is biotechnology needed to enhance yields?

United States Wheat Associates director of policy Rebecca Bratter took her best shot at building a case for biotechnology Wednesday morning before a somewhat skeptical audience of producers at the 57th annual National Hard Spring Wheat Show in Williston.

Bratter claims United States wheat producers overwhelmingly agree on pursuing biotech wheat. She said a National Association of Wheat Growers survey shows 70 percent of its members favor the use of GM technology for wheat.

"This is going to be a very complex process. That we don't underestimate at all," Bratter said. "I know there are folks who are not onboard with GM technology."

At least two outspoken producers in Wednesday's audience challenged much of what Bratter had to say. She said it's not if the U.S. commercializes biotech wheat, but when. Bratter said the world production of biotech crops continues to increase, with soybeans leading the way, followed by corn, cotton and canola. She said there are 23 biotech crops being grown in 23 overall countries on six different continents.

"We also know these crops, the imports are approved in 52 different countries," she said. "Most of this is happening in industrialized countries."

Some of the biotech crops that are currently produced are used for animal feed.

Bratter said it could very easily be China or India that produces the first biotech wheat for human consumption.

"Research on biotech wheat continues around the world. We're not the only ones talking about it," she said.

One of the fears associated with biotech wheat is how U.S. wheat competitors are going to react.

"They could clearly utilize this against us and take over our market," she said.

Bratter said a lot of the countries that import our wheat also are conducting biotech research. That research can be placed into there different categories -- input traits that help producers, output traits that help the wheat user or stacked traits that help wheat producers and users.

She said there are some traits that are already developed and are on the research shelf. If one of those existing traits is used, it could take about five years for a commercialized product to hit the market. Starting trait development from the very beginning, however, would mean 10 years before it would hit a commercialized market, Bratter said.

One big fact regarding wheat production is the surface area planted for the crop continues to decline over the past 25 years as other more profitable crops are planted, she said. Meanwhile, wheat consumption is rising 1.3 percent per year over the last 25 years.

"We're predicting by 2050, we're going to see the world population increase to over 9 billion people," Bratter said. "So we're going to have a lot of extra mouths to feed."

She said a new scientific revolution is needed to move the U.S. forward in wheat technology and wheat production.

"There is a huge resistance to biotech wheat. We also know there is a risk among manufacturers," Bratter said.

There are several benefits, however, to biotech wheat, Bratter said. These pluses include reduced crop production costs, reduced disease, weed and pest issues and fewer growing limitations like drought, temperature and salinity.

She said there are benefits for end users with improved flour and improved food safety.

The traits that are talked about the most involve drought tolerance and soil nutrient utilization, Brattter said.

"We also know we need to work very closely with our government," she said. "The regulatory process for biotech is going to be very challenging."

She said U.S. wheat customers are being told we are going to have a dual stream of wheat and the U.S. is always going to have segregation of biotech wheat and nonbiotech wheat. Any customer who doesn't want biotech wheat can purchase nonbiotech wheat, but it likely is to come at a premium price, she said.

Bratter said the U.S. wheat industry is preparing global buyers for the global commercialization of biotech wheat. The industry also knows some countries like Japan are going to be tremendous concerns.

"They have very strict food safety laws," she said of Japan. "Japan is normally our number-one market in the world."

Bratter acknowledges risk is inherent in the process of moving to biotech wheat and there is no way to avoid some risk moving forward.