Kansas farmer sues Monsanto over rogue GMO wheat

Jun 04, 2013

Kansas farmer sues Monsanto over rogue GMO wheat

A Kansas farmer is suing Monsanto after the discovery of unlicensed genetically modified wheat growing in Oregon. The producer is claiming that Monsanto’s gross negligence hurt him and other U.S. wheat growers, by driving down wheat prices and raising the alarms of several international buyers, including Japan.

The producer, Ernest Barnes who farms 1,000 acres in southwest Kansas, is seeking damages, which is to be determined at trial. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Wednesday that the genetically modified wheat was the same strain developed by Monsanto and tested until 2005 when the seed giant withdrew its application for the product to be licenced with the USDA.

Monsanto’s vice president and general counsel David Snively released a statement Tuesday, which said "Tractor-chasing lawyers have prematurely filed suit without any evidence of fault and in advance of the crop's harvest”. Snively concludes by saying that Monsanto will present a vigorous defense.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.