Two Rivers Coop

Urgent! Show Your Support for Roundup Ready^® Alfalfa

By Matt Van Weelden, agronomy sales

There is a narrow window of opportunity in the next few weeks to submit a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help bring back Roundup Ready alfalfa, and we need your support to protect your choice to plant this and other biotech crops.

As you may know, a federal district court issued a ruling in 2007 that halted planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa until the USDA completes an environmental impact statement (EIS). The draft EIS has now been published for public comment. It recommends Roundup Ready alfalfa be deregulated again and available for farmers to choose to plant.

Now is our chance to share our positive experiences with this beneficial technology during the USDA public comment period, which is open for a limited time only. We recommend you submit your comment before the end of January 2010 to be sure it is received in time to be counted. Visit www.roundupreadyalfalfa.com to find information on how to create a letter of support and submit it to the USDA. The site also includes a link so you can go directly to the USDA comment site and submit your letter of support immediately.

Future of biotech crops is at risk
Roundup Ready alfalfa was reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was also approved by the USDA before it first went on the market in 2005. Prior to the injunction, approximately 5,500 growers planted Roundup Ready alfalfa across 263,000 acres, according to Monsanto.

We believe Roundup Ready alfalfa is a good tool for cattle producers, because it allows you to get a good quality stand of alfalfa established.

The importance of this issue goes beyond alfalfa, however. Some activist groups have expressed their desire to get rid of all biotech crops, including alfalfa, corn, soybeans, and cotton. The district court injunction against Roundup Ready alfalfa is setting a precedent to end the use of biotech crops. If this becomes a reality, U.S. crop production will be cut dramatically, food prices will soar, and there will be serious food shortages.

Since the people who want to end the use of biotech crops are trying to push this through and keep it quiet, we need your help to speak up and express your support for biotech alfalfa, which offers safe, high-quality forage, environmentally-responsible weed control, improved productivity, and more.

We expect opponents will file thousands of comments, but we can use the power of the cooperative system and the strength of accurate information to positively influence this important decision on producers’ rights.

I encourage you to go to www.roundupreadyalfalfa.com today and speak up for agriculture.