Source: NCDA&CS, 4/16/14
 
The farm bill was finally enacted on Feb. 7. One of the biggest changes will be the elmination of direct payments and the establishment of two new commodity programs, Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Program. The USDA Economic Research Service is an excellent resource for title-by-title information. Please visit the ERS website for more information.

On March 19, the Environmental Protection Agency published in the federal register proposed changes to the Agricultural Worker Protection Standards. The comment period closes on June 17. A few highlights of the proposed changes include:
•      Annual mandatory trainings 
•      Expanded mandatory posting of no-entry signs for the most hazardous pesticides
•      Children under 16 will be prohibited from handling pesticides
•      Mandatory record-keeping requirements: records of application-specific pesticide information as well as farmworker training and early-entry notification must be kept for two years
•      New no-entry 25-100 foot buffer areas surrounding pesticide-treated fields
EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers jointly released a proposed rule to clarify the definition of "Waters of the U.S." under the jursidiction of the Clean Water Act. There will be a 90-day comment period from the date the rule is published in the register. While the rule does provide an "Interpretive Rule" providing exemptions for several agricultural conservation practices, we will need to fully go through the proposed language to gauge the full impact of the proposal. 

If you have specific questions about the items above, or about any federal issues, please contact Chrissy Waggett.