The USDA extended its extension for hearing public comments on whether or not, upon appeal by Monsanto, that company's new GE RoundupReady alfalfa should be approved.

Now I know most of you Fair Food Fighters are opposed to GMOs and Monsanto. But have you actually written your comment on this matter? Sure, you've Tweeted about it, forwarded emails, Facebooked, and Dugg it, but have you written your letter?

If you haven't, the new deadline for comments is March 3, 2010. That's next Wednesday, so the clock is ticking. Please make time in the next couple days to:

(a) head over to Fresh the Movie's site to add your name to the petition declaring your opposition to GE alfalfa's approval. (They're at #9121 as I write this. Let's see if we can put them over the 10K mark, Fair Food Fighters.)

(b) go to Regulations.gov and submit your comment on why genetically modified RoundupReady alfalfa seems like a bad idea to you.

You probably have your own list of reasons why you don't want GE alfalfa approved, but allow me to offer up some talking points for your letter. WIthout further ado:

El Dragón's Top Five Reasons for Putting a Sleeper-hold on GE Alfalfa

5) It would be a precedent-setting ban.

To quote attorney Zelig Golden of Center for Food Safety (at Civil Eats): "This is the first time the USDA has prepared an [Environmental Impact Statement] for any GE crop and therefore will have broad implications for all transgenic crops, and its failure to address the environmental and related economic impacts of GE alfalfa will have far-reaching consequences"

4) This case was already tried in 2007.

Via Non-GMO Report: "A Federal Court has ruled, for the first time ever, that the US Department of Agriculture failed to abide by federal environmental laws when it approved a genetically engineered crop without conducting a full Environment Impact Statement (EIS)."

The only reason we're talking about this is because Monsanto is appealing the ban on their alfalfa.

3) Monsanto's GE alfalfa threatens shopper's right to choose non-GMO food.

Via Cornucopia Institute: "Alfalfa is open-pollinated by bees. With bees traveling 4-6 miles, they can potentially spread the patented, foreign DNA to distant conventional and organic crops....Buffer strips and other devices required with other GE crops are essentially useless."

2) GE alfalfa poses a serious threat to organics.

Via Cornucopia Institute: "The vitality of the $25 billion organic industry is at risk. Our partners, the consumer, support organics because they want healthy foods, sustainability and economic opportunity for family farmers. How will they react to contamination of the organic dairy and beef sector by genetically modified crops? Genetic engineering is prohibited in organics, and organic consumers, as well as organic farmers, don't want it."

Furthermore, via Center for Food Safety:" The [USDA's Environmental Impact Statement]  economic analysis admits that RR alfalfa will hurt the organic industry and small farmers but it fails to analyze or suggest any possible protections for organic."

1) GE alfalfa poses a threat to US agriculture and the whole economy.

Via Non-GMO Report: "Japan and South Korea, America's most important alfalfa customers, have warned that they will discontinue imports of US alfalfa if a GE variety is grown in this country. US alfalfa exports total nearly $480 million per year, with about 75% headed to Japan."

$360 billion yanked from farmers' pockets? Tough crap. Monsanto wants a patent.

Please write your letter today.