Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Michele Marra

In accordance with Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the "Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that no individual appointed to serve on [a] committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable." A conflict of interest refers to an interest, ordinarily financial, of an individual that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. As specified in the Academy's policy and procedures (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html), an objective determination is made for each provisionally appointed committee member whether or not a conflict of interest exists given the facts of the individual's financial and other interests and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

We have concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established its membership must include among others, at least one person who has expertise in evaluating the performance of stacked varieties of genetically engineered crops relative to farmer’s opportunity costs (such as yield risk and cost of crop insurance), particularly with respect to cotton and soybeans in the Southeast.

To meet the need for this expertise and experience, Dr. Michele Marra is proposed for appointment to the committee even though we have concluded that she has a conflict of interest because she consults through the firm Agri-Analytics, Inc., and as such Dr. Marra works with Monsanto on yield risk and crop insurance programs for genetically engineered crops.

Dr. Marra is a nationally recognized expert in the economics of new agricultural innovations. As an extension specialist, her analysis of the yield performance associated with genetically-engineered and conventional varieties of corn and soybean makes her uniquely familiar with the yield and risk trade-offs faced by farmers in the Southeast when choosing which varieties to plant. This expertise in farmers’ choices and their decision-making process is critical for the committee in meeting its task. We believe that Dr. Marra can serve effectively as a member of the committee and that the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the work.

After an extensive search, we have been unable to find another individual with the equivalent combination of current practical and regional experience and expertise as Dr. Marra who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, we have concluded that this potential conflict is unavoidable.