Pending decision will affect farmers, ranchers, state’s economy

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, all R-Wyo., urged top officials today to tread gently when making an upcoming decision on alfalfa production that will affect Wyoming’s ranchers, farmers and economy.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is nearing its decision on the fate of producing “roundup-ready” alfalfa, which is a type of alfalfa that is genetically modified to be resistant to herbicides. The delegation sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Dr. John Holdren asking them to strike out one of three options in the study that could potentially harm the state’s number one crop.

“Alfalfa production has a significant impact on Wyoming’s rural communities, farm families and livestock industry. We need to act to ensure that the science-based regulatory approval process that the U.S. government has relied on for the approval of these types of crops for over two decades isn’t weakened by a political decision. Roundup-ready alfalfa has been proven to be economical and environmentally friendly. We don’t need government regulation to fix a process that isn’t broken,” the delegation said.

Farmers and ranchers use roundup-ready alfalfa because it often produces higher yields and is more cost efficient. The crop helps the environment because fewer herbicides are needed to maintain the crop.

Secretary Vilsack is expected to make an announcement on final action next week. To read the letter from the delegation, click here.

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