The coalition's logic is compelling. According to their press release, the sugar beet industry grows its seed stock mainly in Oregon's Willamette Valley, "also an important seed growing area for crops closely related to sugar beets, such as organic chard and table beets."

And beets are wind-pollinated, thus prone to cross-pollinate. This raises the thorny issue of genetic contamination -- Monsanto's patent-protected genes weaseling into conventional plants, including ones producing seeds for organic beets and chard.

Genetic contamination not only ruins efforts to preserve old seed lines and threatens the organic status of producers; it also opens non-GM growers to claims of patent infringement from Monsanto's notorious team of seedy rent-a-cops and lawyers (PDF). In 2004, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that farmers caught using seeds containing patented genes owe the patent-holder a technology fee -- even if the genes ended up in their seed through cross-pollination.

Moreover, the coalition argues that the industry line about how GM crops reduce chemical use is nonsense. They cite figures (PDF) showing that "GE crops increased herbicide use in the U.S. by 122 million pounds -- a 15-fold increase -- between 1994 (when GE herbicide-tolerant crops were introduced) to 2004."

As I wrote last week, Monsanto rose to dominance on a wave of lawsuits against farmers. It would be lovely if this litigious giant saw the prospect for yet another crop monopoly crumble because of a successful lawsuit.