World-Herald editorial: Court ruling's huge effect on sugar beet industry

Even as spring approaches and planting time for sugar beets in western Nebraska looms, farmers are mired in uncertainty. They and beet producers across the United States await a federal court decision that could disrupt their growing season.

Opponents are trying to prevent genetically modified (GM) seeds from being planted this spring. Since 95 percent of last year's sugar beet crop was grown from GM seeds and a like amount is expected this year, any court order banning the seeds would make life difficult for growers.

Farmers' representatives have argued that not enough non-GM seeds are available to replace the modified seeds, which are engineered to tolerate Roundup, a Monsanto herbicide. In addition, they said that most farmers bought their seeds — GM seeds — last fall.

Organic farmers, food safety advocates and conservation groups have already won a lawsuit to force the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reconsider its 2005 approval of the Monsanto seeds for unrestricted use. They argued that the government didn't look closely enough at cross-pollination problems.

The question being considered by the court now is whether beet farmers must stop using the seeds until the USDA finishes an environmental impact statement, which could take two or three years. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White of San Francisco has under consideration opponents' request for a temporary injunction to stop this season's planting. In June, he will consider whether to ban sales of sugar made from GM beets and bar use of GM seeds until the USDA acts.

Organic farmers have said they fear contamination of their beets by the modified seed pollen. Even if the pollen doesn't cross-fertilize the beet, just its presence on the vegetable can mean the crop doesn't qualify as organic. Tests are sensitive enough to pick up pollen at that low level, farmers said.

The legal brief by GM critics states that a recent USDA study indicated that the light pollen might move on the wind more than 12 miles. About half of the sugar made in the United States comes from sugar beets.

Other objections to the GM seeds include concerns that they will help create superweeds immune to Roundup and other herbicides, that other strains of beets can no longer be considered genetically pure and that the risks have not been adequately assessed.

A portion of Nebraska's agricultural prosperity comes from sugar beets. The state is sixth in the nation in production; the crop is grown under irrigation, mainly in the Panhandle. Generally, according to information from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, between 45,000 and 60,000 acres are planted each year.

Estimates from the university indicate that the production and processing industries contribute more than $130 million to local economies through payrolls, property taxes and similar means.

Any decisions made in the San Francisco federal court will have a major effect on sugar beet production in the Panhandle. A just ruling would carefully weigh the law and also take into account the economic impact a decision could have on countless farmers, their local communities and their states.

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