"Worried that county bans on biotech crops could spread throughout the state, mainstream farm groups from the California Cattlemen's Association to the national Farm Bureau are marshaling their resources," reports the Sacramento Bee. The California Rice Commission is "developing a 'communications plan' to influence Butte [County] voters along with a backup litigation plan in case the [anti-biotech] measure passes." Following votes to ban biotech crops in California's Mendocino and Trinity counties [3], "biotech backers are widely rumored to be shopping legislation that would stop counties from regulating biotech crops. Even the U.S. Department of Agriculture [4] ... reportedly is scouring county initiatives to build a legal case against them."