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Alfalfa’s roots go deep in the soil and deep in history. Prized by the ancient Persians, this high-protein “Queen of Forages” is still treasured. It is the fourth-largest crop grown in the United States, primarily for feeding cattle. And it is the latest one to fall to the Empire of Monsanto. 

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s recent decision  to deregulate the use of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Alfalfa (RRA) has alarmed many in the farming community, and beyond, who expected better from this administration. I suppose the kindest thing you could say about this genetically engineered seed – developed to allow the plant to withstand applications of Roundup herbicide – is that it’s unnecessary.

Alfalfa competes well with weeds in a well-managed system. But when RRA is grown, weeds will develop resistance to Roundup, as they have with the other crops that carry the Roundup Ready gene, such as corn, soybeans and cottons (sugar beets are next). This resistance could lead to the introduction of yet more powerful transgenic remedies that, in turn, would fail.

Polling has shown that most Americans dislike the idea of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) being introduced into the food supply, which is why the agricultural lobby blocks the labeling of products containing them. And no one fears the galloping GMO trend more than farmers – organic or otherwise – who bank on selling GMO-free alfalfa hay, or meat from animals not tainted by eating RRA.