Roundup Ready alfalfa primed for launch in East

The company with Roundup Ready alfalfa on its launchpad plans a limited rollout of commercial seed into Canada's six eastern provinces this spring. In a move likely to face opposition from several farm groups across the country, Forage Genetics International (FGI) on Tuesday announced plans for a limited release of commercial HarvXtra alfalfa "in time for spring 2016 planting." HarvXtra alfalfa will include Monsanto's glyphosate-tolerant Roundup Ready genetics plus a trait for lower levels of lignin, a structural component of alfalfa plants that holds them upright but makes them less digestible for dairy and beef cattle. Seed quantities are expected to be enough for growers to plant a "small, targeted launch" of less than 5,000 acres of hay, FGI said. Idaho-based FGI stressed its decision is "confined to the sale of seed for hay production" and not for alfalfa seed production. All HarvXtra seed production for the Eastern Canada market will have taken place in the…