Straight from the Horses Mouth

Duane Lienemann, UNL extention educator, Webster Co. October 1, 2010 Edition I can’t believe that harvest is here. After last year’s harvest fiasco, it is really good to see these beautiful harvest days and the combines and trucks rolling. I even heard some producers say that the beans were almost too dry. It seems that harvest is going pretty good however and most everyone is glad to be going. It will be interesting to me to see where we end up with yields this year. Beans seem average to above and corn looks to be average to perhaps a little below average. I guess we will see. At any rate we will of course take what the good Lord provides us. I have been keeping up, with a lot of interest, in the continuing saga of “Agriculture vs EPA” and it has gotten to be a lot more interesting this past week. I know that a lot of people watch soap operas on TV and I have to admit they don’t appeal to me, however what is going on in Washington is very similar to that format, its very own “EPA Soap Opera!” This past Thursday, the Senate Ag Committee conducted a hearing on EPA regulations and it was clear to me that if nothing else the EPA has a major public relations campaign it needs to undertake in farm country. Several lawmakers made charges of "regulations run amok" or the perception of regulations run amok in the U.S. ag community. The Ag Committee Chair voiced disappointment over "vague, overreaching and unnecessarily burdensome EPA regulation" on agriculture. One statement at the hearing really resonated with me. It essentially said that “Right now, at a time when every American feels anxious about his or her own economic future and the economic future of the country, our farmers, ranchers, and foresters are facing, at least 10 and perhaps as many as 20 new regulatory requirements”. What makes these decisions critical and so important to us in the ag production sector is that each of any regulations that are levied on us will add to their cost, making it harder for them to compete in a world that is marked by stiff and usually unfair competition. And most, if not all, of these regulations rely on dubious rationales and not on sound science and, as a consequence, will be of questionable benefit to the goal of conservation and environmental protection. The committee urged EPA director Lisa Jackson (who is a “green enthusiast” and “global warming activist”) to work together with the agriculture community to set these common-sense goals, instead of using the command and control, top-down approach that this Administration has relied on thus far. Other lawmakers raised several specific examples of EPA regulations that are creating concern in farm country like rules or proposals on dust, spray drift and more, imploring Jackson and her agency to step back and really consider the impact of their decisions on agriculture. Perhaps our letters and phone calls to our representatives and senators do help! Now if our story just falls on willing ears. I have been talking about the ongoing discussion on the common herbicide atrazine. I just read something that highlights the heavy handed tactics of our government and the EPA that worries me. Jere White of the Kansas Corn Growers Association, was testifying about EPA’s rush to conduct yet another review of the safety of atrazine during a hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee in Washington. He testified in support of atrazine, sharing concerns over trial attorney harassment of stakeholders. The very next day, activist attorneys sought and obtained subpoenas against Kansas Corn (Growers Association), Kansas Sorghum (Producers) and Mr. White personally. That really throws up a red flag to me. Meanwhile, in Washington, this re-review barrels on like a runaway train and farmers and people like me are left to conclude that what we are witnessing here is not science-driven, but merely politics and agendas. There is some good political news in this arena. The “Representation for Farmers Act”, (a bi-partisan bill) that has been introduced in the Senate. This bill would give the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to appoint up to three members to the EPA’s Science Advisory Board. Currently the board has 50 members, none of which have an agricultural background. The bill is designed to make sure American farmers are represented in the decision-making process for environmental policies and regulations that could impact agriculture. Now that is a novel and welcome idea. Also of interest and hope, the Rural America Solutions Group, hosted a forum last week entitled, “The EPA’s Assault on Rural America: How New Regulations and Proposed Legislation are Stifling Job Creation and Economic Growth.” Experts from across the country discussed EPA regulations and provided real-life examples of how these regulations and related legislation have affected their work, families, and communities. The forum discussed EPA’s zero tolerance standards for pesticide spray drift which many consider unachievable; attempts to double the current regulatory standard on farm dust which would make tilling a field, operating a feedlot, or driving a farm vehicle nearly impossible; new hazardous emission regulations for stationary irrigation vehicles, and an unprecedented ban on the pesticide Atrazine, which could cost nearly 50,000 agriculture-related jobs if put into effect. No one disputes the need or desire for clean air and water, bountiful habitat and healthy landscapes, but at some point, which I believe we are getting dangerously close to, regulatory burdens on farmers and ranchers will hinder rather than help them become better stewards of the land and more bountiful producers of food, fiber and fuel. Remember that the farmer is the “Original Environmentalist”. Keep the faith and keep contacting your legislators. It may save your farm! The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/home