Twin Falls - Hay and sugar beet growers in southern Idaho are relieved that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Roundup Ready alfalfa.
"That's good news," said Dean Stevenson when informed of the decision. He raises sugar beets among other crops near Rupert. He is primarily interested in the decision from the ramifications it may have for Roundup Ready sugar beets. A federal district judge in California is scheduled to begin hearings in mid-August on whether Roundup Ready sugar beet seed can planted while a complete environmental impact statement (EIS) is completed.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court's order that has prohibited farmers from planting Roundup Ready alfalfa for the past three years while the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) completed a full environmental impact statement. The agency had completed an environmental assessment on both alfalfa and sugar beets before deregulating the technology. In both cases, organic growers claimed that cross pollination from the genetically modified crops would contaminate the production of their crops, and asked for the ban on seed sales until full environmental reports were completed.
The opinion of the court, written by Justice Samuel Alito, states that the district court had abused its discretion when it banned the planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa seed in 2007. The decision means that APHIS will determine what interim measures will be needed to allow growers to plant the genetically modified seed until the final EIS is completed later this year. Limited planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa is expected in the fall of 2010.
"This decision sounds like it bodes well for (sugar beet) growers who don't want to go back to the old technology," Stevenson said. Before Roundup Ready sugar beets were approved, it cost growers $50 to $60 an acre to send hoeing crews through sugar beet fields to remove the weeds that herbicides had missed.
David Patrick raises both sugar beets and alfalfa along with barley, corn and beans on his Twin Falls farm. He was looking at planting Roundup Ready Alfalfa before the ban was imposed in 2007 and will take another look at the technology now that limited planting will likely be approved for this fall. "I know it's proven technology," he said based on his experiences growing Roundup Ready corn.
Patrick is most interested in using Roundup Ready alfalfa on steep, rocky fields that he would like to leave in a hay and grain rotation to minimize both the need for rock picking and irrigation induced runoff. The conventional alfalfa varieties he has been planting die out after three or four years, but Roundup Ready may extend stand life to five or more years.
Purchasing certified seed of public varieties costs about $3 per pound and Patrick usually seeds about 20 pounds per acre. Three years ago, the Roundup Ready seed was about double conventional seed, but no one knows what the price difference will be now.
Although he was unwilling to speculate on how the Roundup Ready alfalfa decision may influence the upcoming sugar beet hearing he is hopeful. "I'm always an optimist and with the science behind the genetically modified crops, I just don't see the sugar beet decision being an issue," Patrick said.
Alan DeGiulio runs Grimm Brother Seeds in eastern Idaho. He handles forage and native grass seeds, but is not a bit worried about any potential cross contamination of Roundup Ready alfalfa seed on public varieties.
Leaf cutter bees account for about 98 percent of the pollination in alfalfa seed fields in Idaho and leafcutters tend not to travel far. Honey bees, on the other hand, can travel up to 5 miles. Even so, growers will be required to isolate Roundup Ready seed fields to minimize potential contamination, he pointed out.
With all of the complaints he's heard about weedy hay this spring, DeGiulio thinks growers will be interested in Roundup Ready hay, especially those producing dairy quality hay that needs to be weed-free. But with the depressed dairy economy keeping hay prices low, he also wonders if hay growers will be willing to pay higher seed prices and the accompanying technology fee.
"I've always noticed with alfalfa growers that they are conscious of the cost," he said.
Last year he sold quite a bit of alfalfa seed but not this year. "The cost of handling alfalfa is so expensive and the price of hay has dropped so drastically, there's just not that much demand," DeGiulio said. "It's been tough for those guys to make a living."
But Jim Peterson, who farms near Carey, has watched a field his neighbor seeded to Roundup Ready alfalfa before the ban was imposed and has been impressed with the increased yields. He is ready to plant the seed when it becomes available.
Glenn Meyer, who farms near Filer, isn't that eager. While he can see benefits to growing Roundup Ready alfalfa in some areas, he is concerned that the technology will squeeze out other seed companies and varieties.
Six Democratic senators and 50 House members have sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak urging him not to approve the commercialization of Roundup Ready alfalfa. Many of the lawmakers are from states with significant organic farming and they say the crop will contaminate conventional alfalfa crops and harm the organic dairy industry. The lawmakers dispute the administration's draft environmental impact statement that says the biotech crop is unlikely to harm the environment or human health.
© 2010 Ag Weekly
