Producers who will be the future of agriculture are telling the federal government to keep an unpopular water rule from having a future of its own. This news release from Farm Bureau says the group’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee wants the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers to ditch the proposed Waters of the U.S. …
Weed Management for Soybean Sustainability
Farmers can face a series of fights these days, whether it’s fighting regulations, fighting weed resistance or fighting to preserve their land from erosion. During the recent Bayer CropScience Corn and Soybean Future Forum in Germany, Chuck spoke with Ray Gaesser, President of the American Soybean Association, about his presentation on sustainability, weed resistance and cover crops. He said ASA …
GOP Ag Commissioners say “Ditch the Rule”
Members of the Republican Agriculture Commissioners Committee hosted a conference call Monday to discuss the impact of federal overreach on agriculture in the United States and back the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) in calling for the proposed “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule to be withdrawn. Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain says regulation of resources …
McCarthy’s Comments on WOTUS in Missouri
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy addressed the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City yesterday. Her goal was to defend and explain the Administration’s proposed rules defining Waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA). In a media call on Wednesday before her trip concerns were expressed from those in attendance. During her speech yesterday, she …
EPA Wants to “Ditch the Myths” About WOTUS
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy held a conference call with media this morning in advance of her trip to Missouri this week to talk about the proposed Waters of the United States rule, or WOTUS. “I’m hoping that this trip helps us ‘ditch the myths’ and misinformation,” said McCarthy in an obvious reference to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s …
AFBF Not Happy With Clean Power Plan
Last week the Environmental Protection Agency made history when it released its Clean Power Plan proposal – an attempt to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from utility plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The EPA already has other pollution regulations (greenhouse gas emissions) on the utility sector. According to the EPA, utility plants are the single largest source …
Time to #DitchTheRule and Let it Go
After the flooding here in Pensacola, FL a couple weeks ago I was afraid the EPA would declare my concrete driveway a “Waters of the U.S.” and not allow me to drive on it. Sounds stupid doesn’t it? But if you’re a farmer there is nothing stupid about what the EPA is doing with the proposed “Waters of the U.S.” …
EPA Chief Discusses Climate Change Report
The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency discussed the new White House climate change report out yesterday with members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting meeting in Washington DC this week. “It’s a really good document in terms of focusing on the United States,” she said. “In particular, it looks at the agriculture sector. It talks about the droughts …
National APLU Report Outlines Research Challenges
The national Association of Public and Land-grant Universities released a report outlining six “grand challenges” facing the United States over the next decade in the areas of sustainability water, climate change, agriculture, energy and education. The APLU project was co-chaired by W. Daniel Edge, head of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University. The report is available …
Book Review – Three Green Rats: An Eco Tale
Tru dat rat. Ok, so if you don’t have kids or hang out with kids, you may not have any idea what I just said. But the three green rat brothers of Tintown’s Broken Bottle Lane encourage us to walk softly and reduce, reuse and recycle in the children’s tale, “Three Green Rats: An Eco Tale“. Written by Linda Mason …
