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GRANTS PASS – A David-and-Goliath political battle is shaping up over genetically modified crops in Southern Oregon.

Some Midwest sugar beet growers have joined the Oregon Farm Bureau in giving a total of $75,000 to defeat a homegrown ballot measure from organic farmers to prohibit genetically modified crops in Jackson County, except for research. Measure 15-119 goes before Jackson County voters on the May primary ballot.

The organic farmers are afraid that growing sugar beet seed genetically engineered to withstand weed killer will taint their crops through cross-pollination.

“Indeed, they do want to squash us like a bug,” said Chris Hardy, a Talent organic farmer and chief petitioner for Measure 15-119. “This is about whether we are going to turn the keys to agriculture in the Rogue Valley over to a multinational corporation (Symantec AG) or we are going to say no and stand up to protect our family farms’ future.”

The sugar beet industry wants to protect a major source of the seed it relies on.

“We oppose any prohibition on the production of biotech crops in any county,” said Luther Markwart of the Sugar Beet Growers Association from Washington, D.C. “The reason it is important to us is there is what we refer to as basic seed that is grown in the county.”

That seed is shipped to the Willamette Valley, where it is used to produce a major portion of the commercial sugar beet seed used around the country, said Markwart. Nearly all the sugar beets grown in the U.S. are genetically modified to withstand weed killer.

Genetically modified sweet corn, feed corn, and alfalfa are also grown in Jackson County.

State records show that four sugar beet companies from Michigan and Minnesota have given a total of $50,000 to defeat the local measure, which goes before voters next month. Michigan Sugar Co. gave $10,000. Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative gave $20,000. American Crystal Sugar Co. gave $10,000. Sidney Sugars gave $10,000. The Oregon Farm Bureau has contributed $25,000. G2 Public Strategies, a political strategy company with offices in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, gave $9,250.

The organic farmers have not reported how much they have raised, but Hardy said it is nowhere near that much.