The little organic seed company that's taking on Monsanto (with some help)

[cali]

Officials to decide fate of two key ag issues

Editorial

We await today two decisions that could have major consequences for agriculture in the West.

In California, a federal judge is hearing arguments from plaintiffs who want a temporary order barring farmers from planting Roundup Ready sugar beet seeds and sugar companies from processing sugar from beets produced from the seeds.

Judge Jeffery White ruled in September that the USDA had failed to produce a required environmental impact statement when it deregulated Monsanto's genetically modified beet seeds. White ordered the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to complete the study, and set a hearing in June to determine permanent steps to remedy the USDA's failure.

Noting that the 2010 beet crop will already be in the ground by June, the plaintiffs -- the Center for Food Safety, the Organic Seed Alliance, the Sierra Club and High Mowing Organic Seeds -- filed for the temporary order.

They contend there is enough conventional seed available that farmers don't have to plant the Roundup Ready variety. It's unclear if that's true. The Roundup Ready seeds have been so widely adopted -- they account for 95 percent of the U.S. crop -- that it seems unlikely that enough conventional seeds appropriate for the various growing conditions exist. We are told that the workers who once tended the conventional crops, and whose effort was made unnecessary once herbicide could be applied, have moved on to other areas. The labor infrastructure does not exist.

Judge White will decide the fate of thousands of growers, the employees of beet processing plants in 10 states, and 50 percent of the domestic sugar supply. We continue to urge White to take steps to address the plaintiffs' concerns that fall short of banning the entire crop. We think it wise, however, for growers to have an alternative crop in mind.

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http://www.capitalpress.com/opinion/jb-sagegrouse030510

http://www.highmowingseeds.com/

[jody]

1. If consumers eat products from Roundup Ready beet seeds do they become Roundup Ready also?

I don't know whether :sarcasm: is appropriate for my question or not. :shrug:

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. Important story. It's awful how America has allowed one company to dominate the food supply