As of last Thursday, genetically modified alfalfa may be grown in the United States without restrictions. The USDA had hinted at putting restrictions on where the GM alfalfa could be planted to limit its impact on organic operations, but no such restrictions were announced.

This isn’t the first time the USDA has approved GMO alfalfa. Back in 2005, when they approved it for the first time, a federal court ordered them to rescind their approval until a thorough analysis had been done of the impact of the crop. Alfalfa is the fourth largest crop grown in the United States, and is grown on nearly 20 million acres across the country.

Owners of organic dairies, who currently feed their cattle alfalfa to avoid GMO feed say that the move will devastate their business. No word yet on what the substitute will be, whether it will be organically grown alfalfa or another non-GM crop, it will definitely up the cost of raising organic dairy cattle.

As reported by: Reuters