Violet alfalfa flowers dance in the afternoon wind in golden Sams Valley in southern Oregon, where Bruce Schulz's family has farmed for four generations.

Schulz, 51, stands on the family's 250-acre farm, in front of the white house his mom has lived in for 56 years. He points to a white and green house across the road, where his father grew up, and his house a quarter-mile west behind a patch of trees.

Now things are changing. Within the next year, Schulz said, he'll have to destroy the alfalfa because it's genetically altered and won't be allowed in Jackson County under a measure passed in last week's election.

"It'll break me," said Schulz, figuring he'll lose 30 percent of his gross income after plowing under crops he was counting on for five to eight more years. "That means we don't have enough money to pay all the bills."

The county's new ban on most GMO crops, approved 2-to-1 despite nearly $1 million spent by opponents, has deepened a cultural chasm in the greater Rogue Valley, exposing fundamental divisions about where Oregon agriculture should head.

Opponents say their livelihoods are under threat. They openly resent the growing influence of organic farmers, many of whom they say are recent California transplants who brought their liberal political activism with them.

Supporters hail the measure as a victory for small, independent farmers and say it will be an economic boon for the county's economy. They also say it's important to keep GMO crops from contaminating neighboring organic farms.

Supporters are already shifting their focus to the labeling initiative. The success in Jackson County will give the labeling effort momentum, said Higley, the Applegate farmer.

"Our measure gave hope to people that anything is possible and that money can't buy a vote," said Higley as she yanked stems from chamomile flowers drying in a barn.

Matt Sheehan, an Ashland volunteer who helped get the county measure passed, stopped by the barn to chat.

"You've got the labeling to focus on now," Higley told him.

"Oh, don't worry," Sheehan said, "I've got my clipboard in the car!"

-- Yuxing Zheng