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When Roundup Ready (hereafter “RR”) alfalfa was first suggested I did not think that it would be developed and introduced because most alfalfa fields are never sprayed for weed control. And, if a chemical weed control was needed, there is a long list of off-patent low-cost herbicides that are effective if used properly.
Alfalfa hay is usually cut on a schedule of 24 to 30 days for each crop
harvest. The entire plant above ground is removed along with any weeds. This
frequent cutting and removal suppresses weed growth and will control, and
sometimes even eliminate, persistent perennials and noxious weeds that Roundup
will not control.
When alfalfa is properly fertilized and growing in appropriate soil conditions
(correct Ph, well drained, etc.), alfalfa will outgrow and choke out most
weeds. When alfalfa stands become weedy, non-thrifty, and otherwise poor
performing it is usually because of poor fertility, insects, water logging, or
winter damage. Weeds in an alfalfa forage field are a symptom of problems and
simply spraying with Roundup to kill the weeds will not correct the underlying
problem that is causing poor performance. A weedy alfalfa field should be plowed
out, the soil conditions corrected, and then rotated to another crop that is not
a host for alfalfa diseases, insects, or nematodes so that they die away.
Afterwards, a new stand of alfalfa can be replanted.
Alfalfa is often planted with a companion crop of oats or other grasses in a
spring seeding. The cover crop suppresses weeds and gives some protection to
young alfalfa plants. An early summer cutting of the oats and new alfalfa
plants produces valuable forage for horses, feeder cattle, and young dairy
cattle. This practice, however, cannot be used with the RR technology because
the Roundup will kill the oats or grass cover crop.
Forage fields of alfalfa are often planted with a companion perennial grass to
produce forage that is an alfalfa-grass mix that is a superior feed for all
classes of livestock. The grass component in the forage helps to balance the
digestive process and gives a better balance of nutrients, so fewer supplements
are required in high performance livestock. A grass mix forage is the best feed
for horses and the grass in a dairy cow ration is very helpful in reducing
laminitis in dairy cattle. Spraying an RR alfalfa field with Roundup will kill
any companion grass.
The need for RR alfalfa is very limited; it only adds one more chemical to a
long list of herbicides available.
From the standpoint of a conventional (non RR) alfalfa seed grower, the main
problem with the introduction of RR alfalfa is the contamination of all alfalfa
with the RR gene.
Alfalfa, a long-lived perennial, is cross pollinated by bees and other insects
that fly long distances. Honey bees are known to fly ten miles, and wind gusts
can pick up insects that have been pollinating alfalfa blossoms and gathering
pollen and move them long distances.
Alfalfa sets and produces seed best if it is cross pollinated from another
plant. If the pollen from an RR alfalfa plant fertilizes the flowers on a
non-RR alfalfa plant, the seed on that non RR plant will contain the RR gene,
and plants that grow from that seed will be roundup resistant. The RR gene will
spread throughout the entire alfalfa population and would eventually make it
impossible to raise conventional seed without some RR contamination and make it
nearly impossible to breed and develop new varieties of alfalfa. This is not a
good thing.
Conventional alfalfa contaminated with the RR gene will become a weed in the RR
soybean, cotton, and sugar beet fields that cannot be removed.
Farmers that feel the RR technology is a valuable tool should and will avoid
the introduction of any plant that is RR resistant . . . including alfalfa. The
demand or acceptance of any conventional seed that has even a trace of RR
contamination would be compromised, because a farmer who is growing other RR
crops would not want his field contaminated with RR alfalfa.
Alfalfa is a native plant of Eurasia and grows as a feral plant throughout
Europe. I have pictures of it growing along the Danube River in Austria, the
Alps in Switzerland, and even in the median strip in front of the Nazi rally
center in Nuremburg. It was introduced into North and South America, New
Zealand, and Australia and other areas of the world where it now grows as a wild
feral plant.
In a natural environment, the RR gene in alfalfa doesn’t give it any survival
advantage. In fact, early yield trials show that alfalfas with the RR gene are
poor performers. In the environment created by human activity, however, we have
given RR alfalfa a survival advantage. The worldwide use of glysosphate (the
active ingredient in Roundup and other generic herbicides) will give alfalfa
plants with the RR gene a survival advantage over conventional alfalfa. There is
no wonder that the rest of the world does not want RR alfalfa seed and have
prohibited the import of any alfalfa seed contaminated with even a trace of the
RR gene.
The U.S. Alfalfa seed industry was the world’s major producer of alfalfa seed.
Historically, the U.S. alfalfa seed industry exported more than half of the
alfalfa seed produced in the United States, but 2007 was the last time the USDA
reported the size of the U.S. alfalfa seed exports. Why? Export data would be
very useful in determining the amount of damage that was done to the U.S.
alfalfa seed industry by the release of RR alfalfa into U.S. agriculture.
Alfalfa is the first important perennial plant to be genetically engineered and
introduced into the environment that is cross pollinated by insects and that
grows as a wild feral plant throughout the world. Putting a foreign gene that
cannot be recalled into such an important crop without thoroughly analyzing its
potential negative effects is, in my opinion, criminal. If Monsanto and/or other
genetic engineering companies can get away with this introduction, then you can
be sure that others will follow. Hundreds of other important plants will be
subject to genetic mutation and if released into the environment could change
the species forever. How does the Endangered Species Act come into play here?
Why was Monsanto given the right to introduce a gene into alfalfa plants without
any published studies that prove beyond any doubt that it is safe, useful, and
would not cause harm?
The timing of events: in 2004, Forage Genetics (hereafter “FG”) planted 5,332
acres of RR alfalfa for seed production.(This was more than one year before the
USDA deregulated RR alfalfa in June 2005).
Then, in the spring of 2005, FG planted 5,468 more acres for seed production.
Any plantings after June 2005 could not have produced any seed in 2005. 10,800
acres seems to be a lot of experimental acres that could have been planted
BEFORE deregulation under the rules for experimental planting before
deregulation. And, where did FG get the foundation RR seed to plant 5,332 acres
in 2004?
That seed must have been grown and produced in 2003 or earlier, and had to be of
significant size to plant 5,332 acres plus other experimental plantings.
In 2007, Paul Fry of Cal West Seed wrote a letter explaining the RR
contamination Cal West found in seed lots produced in Montana and Washington
during 2005. Those lots that were contaminated with the RR gene were planted
with foundation seed produced in Solano County, California in 2003.
Therefore, it is obvious that FG/Monsanto allowed the RR gene to escape into the
environment near the Cal West foundation seed fields in 2003.
It would be easy to determine where the contamination came from. All plantings
of genetic crops not deregulated have to be registered with the USDA and with
safeguards to prevent escape of the GM into the environment.
In the testimony given to the first RR court case and comments on the
environmental impact statement, the so called “experts” claimed that the RR gene
could be controlled so that there would be no contamination from the RR gene,
but, in fact, the RR gene had already escaped in 2003 -- two years prior to
being deregulated for the first time in 2005. The USDA should be required to
release all details of the experimental plantings prior to the June 2005
deregulation. Those records should detail how much, their locations, what
precautions were taken to prevent escape of the mutant gene, who was responsible
for the test, and who in the USDA approved it.
My own experience with exported alfalfa seed began in 1990 when I visited New
Zealand and found that little alfalfa was used because of acid soils and the
lack of rizobia bacteria.
After helping New Zealand farmers with better agronomic practices, alfalfa
became a more widely used crop in New Zealand. And, over the next 20 years I
developed a network of dealers to sell our U.S.-produced alfalfa seed varieties.
We were poised to substantially expand our New Zealand seed sales until 2005
when New Zealand moved quickly to ban alfalfa that contained even a trace of the
RR gene. At that time I had a field in Nevada contracted for alfalfa seed
production that I intended to ship to New Zealand. It was tested for the
presence of the RR gene and one test was positive. It would have been a bad
business decision to ship the lot and hope the RR gene would not be detected.
Therefore, after 20 years of work, many trips to New Zealand, advertising costs,
time and effort expended, we ended our New Zealand seed business. I knew there
was no way to grow alfalfa seed that was free of RR contamination in the United
States.
FG/Monsanto had contracted alfalfa seed production on 5,332 acres in 2004 and
those acres were located in the middle of the major seed production areas of
Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon.
Why?
Who will benefit because the U.S. alfalfa seed industry has lost most of its
export market? International companies that own available varieties and have
seed production facilities in other countries will benefit. FG/Monsanto and
Pioneer International both own most of the alfalfa varieties and have production
in Canada, Australia, and possibly elsewhere.
Phil Geertson is a conventional alfalfa seed grower who has been involved in
efforts to stop genetically engineered alfalfa since 2003 resulting in a Supreme
Court decision in 2010 on Forage Genetics/Monsanto's engineered alfalfa.