10/26/05 Forum on Roundup Ready alfalfa

Washington Ag October 26, 2005 The Washington Farm Bureau is sponsoring a forum on issues surrounding the introduction of herbicide-resistant alfalfa, Monday, November 14th at the Yakima Convention Center just prior to the start of the organization's 86th annual meeting. Forage Genetics, which licensed the technology to produce Roundup Ready alfalfa from the Monsanto Co., is already selling the genetically modified seed in other states and plans to introduce it in Washington early next year. Gary Joiner, director of member relations for the Washington Farm Bureau, explains why the forum is being held. Joiner: "We had heard from some of our members that grow alfalfa that this is an issue that they feel like a lot of misinformation perhaps is being disseminated out in the country. And they were hoping that Washington Farm Bureau could host an issues forum in which all the players involved, whether you are a producer, an exporter, even a technology representative, that information could be put out in a constructive way in which everyone could hear information at one time and begin to make those decisions from a production stand point as to what's in their best interest." That forum which is free and open to the public is from 3-5 pm Monday, November 14th in Room A of the Yakima Convention Center. I'm Bob Hoff.