Monsanto Wins as Court Backs Alfalfa Seed Planting

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a judge’s ban on the planting of alfalfa seeds engineered to be resistant to Monsanto Co.’s Roundup herbicide.

The 7-1 ruling stopped short of explicitly allowing farmers to begin planting the seeds, instead leaving it to the Agriculture Department to decide whether to allow limited planting. That would be an interim measure while the USDA finishes an environmental impact statement that ultimately might clear the way for unrestricted planting.