02/23/06 Lawsuit over Roundup Ready alfalfa

February 23, 2006 Malhuer County, Oregon farmer Phillip Geertson has nothing against GMO technology per se, but he doesn't think it's a good idea to allow the production of Roundup Ready alfalfa just anywhere. Geertson is a plaintiff in a lawsuit brought by another farmer, some farm groups, consumers and environmentalists, seeking to have USDA reverse its decision to allow the commercial production of Monsanto's Roundup Ready Alfalfa. Geertson, whose Oregon farm has grown alfalfa seed since 1942, says inadvertent contamination of his farm will impact his ability to market seed to conventional and organic farmers. He also sees the inevitable development of weed resistance which will damage his ability to control weeds and feral alfalfa with glyphosate, the herbicide in Roundup. Geertson says because it is difficult to remove weed seeds from alfalfa seed, resistant weed seed could be dispersed across the country. Geertson: "And this will reduce the value of the Roundup technology for corn and soybeans and any other crop it might be put in." Geertson says the fact alfalfa is a perennial and pollinated by insects is what makes it problematic as a Roundup Ready crop. Geertson: "Nearly all the crops we put it in before if some problem came up with it later they could get using them and it would probably go away, but with alfalfa it is going to be here forever." The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of California by the Center for Food Safety. Other groups joining in are the Western Organization of Resource Councils and the Sierra Club. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.