The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is providing a toll-free telephone number for producers who want to know the location of any Roundup Ready alfalfa growing in their areas. The number is 866-724-6408. The hotline is staffed Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time, except holidays. According to APHIS, callers must be people who currently plant conventional or organic alfalfa or plan to do so. Callers must also be ready to provide the operator with the latitude and longitude coordinates or the mailing address of their farms or fields where the alfalfa is or will be grown. Other types of location information cannot be accepted. The hotline will only accept one location from each caller per phone call.
Last May, a U.S. District Court in California issued a permanent injunction to halt the planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa. One of the concerns is that the genetically engineered alfalfa could cross-pollinate with traditional and organic alfalfa.
Learn more at the USDA APHIS Web site: www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/alfalfa.shtml#alfalfalocations. To read previous articles about Roundup Ready alfalfa, click on: hayandforage.com/searchresults/?terms=roundup+ready+alfalfa&ord=d