[h=1]Farmers challenge USDA?s GMO bentgrass plan[/h] About 50 farmers and irrigation district officials showed up at a meeting in Ontario, Ore., March 1 to voice their concern for a USDA-approved plan to manage genetically engineered creeping bentgrass that escaped from field trials 13 years ago.
Sean Ellis Capital Press
Published on March 2, 2016 10:56AM
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Scotts, in conjunction with Monsanto Corp., was developing a genetically modified creeping bentgrass for use mainly in the golf course industry.
Since the grass escaped from grower field trials near Parma in Idaho and Madras in Jefferson County in 2003, it has taken root in those areas.
Scotts was fined for the incidents and signed a consent agreement in 2007.
Erstrom, chairman of the Malheur County Weed Board, and others said that because the grass is genetically engineered to resist Monsanto?s Roundup weed killer,
it is hard to eradicate and is causing problems in waterways.
Erstrom said the grass has also invaded pastures, which is a problem for anyone raising organic livestock, and if it gets into a shipment of hay or grain, the shipment can be rejected for overseas markets that don?t tolerate traces of genetically modified organisms....
