So far, proposals to ban GMO crops in Oregon have failed to pass through Oregonian voters. However, special interest groups continue to push for banning them—and that means Big Horn Basin sugarbeet farmers’ livelihood is in the hands of voters hundreds of miles away.
A ban on GMO crops “would have a tremendous impact, because that is where the seeds are raised,” Big Horn Basin sugar beet grower Ric Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez is vice chairman of the Western Sugar Cooperative. He said cooperative members are “mounting a front to get the correct information out to the public.”
“We want to promote GMO as being safe; there is lots of data that supports that,” Rodriguez said.
Facts vs. Opinions
Roundup is a type of herbicide. When a crop is genetically modified, it can be sprayed with Roundup; the beets will be unaffected, while the weeds around it die. Although Roundup has been around since the 1970s, the process has become a cause for contention in recent years. Whether Roundup is hazardous remains up for debate within the scientific community.
Basically, it boils down to public perception and opinion rather than scientific fact. Decades of analysis have consistently shown that toxicity levels of glyphosate, a chemical in Roundup, are low and it has “extremely low toxicity” and “nil risk when exposure is factored in” according to the World Health Organization, the Environmental Protection Agency and others.
Meanwhile, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a France-based agency of the World Health Organization, released a report in March possibly linking Roundup to cancer.
Greg Loberg, manager of West Coast Beet Seed Company, described the ongoing debate as being “ideological differences,” similar to some people’s belief that vaccinations cause autism despite numerous studies proving otherwise.
“As long as there is that in their minds, it can’t be changed,” Loberg said. “We can present data, and ideological opponents don’t accept data that goes against their ideology.”
Prior to GMOs, Big Horn Basin sugar beet farmers had to pour on “pounds and pounds of chemicals,” said Rep. David Northrup, R-Powell.
“Now we use one, and it is less of a load on the environment and it is a cleaner way of raising a crop,” Northrup said.
But, if GMOs are banned, the question of whether or not Roundup is hazardous would be moot.
What if they get banned?
“If GMO sugarbeets go away, the beets go away in the Big Horn Basin,” Northrup said.
It wouldn’t be cost-effective to raise sugarbeets without GMOs, since planting Roundup Ready beets saves close to $200 per acre in production costs, he said.
“If the seed is taken away, it would be an economic killer for the Big Horn Basin,” Northrup said.
Local farmers would look at dry beans and edible beans for production, and most would get out of business, he said. Land values would go down, and it would be a “cascading effect,” Northrup said.
If Oregon bans GMOs, then Big Horn Basin’s growers would have to switch to conventional sugar beet breeds.
“Growers won’t want to do that,” said Allied Seed Company’s seed production fieldman Gary White. “The weed control was very difficult with conventional sugar beet genetics, so that is why the Roundup Ready beets became an overnight success.”
Even after banning GMOs, it would take years to integrate non-GMO sugar beets into production, Rodriguez said.
“One of the challenges is that the grower expertise is here in Western Oregon,” Loberg said. “The U.S. is the only country producing genetically engineered sugar beets; there is not an alternative source right now.”
“I don’t know what we would do,” Rodriguez said. “There are other areas to raise seed in, but I don’t know where it would be at.”
Wyoming Seed Certification Service manager Mike Moore said he did not know of anywhere else to get the type of sugar beet seeds that work with the Big Horn Basin’s climate.
“That (Oregon) is the battleground for Roundup Ready sugarbeets. If they make that change, you are right to be concerned,” Moore said. “You can’t put boxes in the truck and move down the road.”
About two months ago, voters in Benton County, Ore., turned down Measure 2-89 with 73 percent of the voters opposed to it. Under that proposal, all sugar beets would be destroyed within 60-90 days, which would mean there would be no seeds available for the next planting season.
“I don’t know what their inventory is, but I doubt it is for a year,” White said.
Oregon’s seeds can be planted in the fall and remain in the ground throughout the winter, making them the perfect fit for Big Horn Basin growers.
“Our seeds pretty much have to come from there,” White said. “It is the heartbeat of the beet sugar industry.”
Sugar beet seeds are grown in other parts of the world, but they’re not quite the same, and using them would be tricky from a financial standpoint, White said. GMOs are banned in European countries, so alternative options would be limited.
Current political action
In Oregon, banning GMOs is decided on a county-by-county basis. So far, it has only passed in two counties, with the most recent ban passing in May 2014 and going into effect in June in Jackson County, Oregon.
Fortunately for Big Horn Basin farmers, neither of those counties is a major producer of the seeds they need, Loberg said.
“The proponents said they would try for it again,” White said. “It is a huge concern for Wyoming sugar producers.”
“It is that group of people who believe anything not natural or organic is going to kill you — but nothing we have now is in the native form; it has been bred or manipulated in some way,” Northrup said.
“It is being threatened by activism in Oregon, but they have not succeeded. So, I think that growers should be mindful the seed industry is working to enable and protect seed production in traditional areas,” Loberg said. “As long as there is activism, there is a threat. But the big question is, will that threat turn into restrictions? We hope not.”
“There is plenty of activism in Oregon against genetic engineering and the activists have not changed their minds since (Measure 2-89 in) Benton County was defeated, so all of us should expect them to pursue their goals,” Loberg said. “In other words, if this was a voter or citizen petition, there is nothing stopping them from pursuing a petition … they can introduce anything with enough signatures.”
In Wyoming, the Legislature’s Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Interim Committee is writing a letter of support for a joint resolution that says they support GMO crops in Wyoming, Northrup said. “With the letter, we hope to address any animosity for more support in the area,” Northrup said.
The Oregon Legislature has not tried to pass legislation implementing a statewide ban on GMOs, so for now it’s strictly a county decision.
“Benton County will be back in a couple of years,” Loberg said. “Activism is alive and well in Oregon.”
Source: www.powelltribune.com