Ag Day Legislative issues.

Will Rogers said that the country is not safe when Congress is in session.  Ag producers seem to know that they need to keep a sharp eye in legislative and regulatory bodies to protect their interests.  This week's Farmweek News contains a number of issues to watch and I encourage you to check it out on line or read your copy. 

I will summarize some of the issues raised here.  First, Illinois House had proposed a repeal of the ag sales tax exemption.  That is stuck in committee and not likely to move, but watch out for it.  A bill has passed to the Illinois Senate containing revision about how CFAR is funded.  There is a bill pending that would allow drain tile to be blocked or destroyed if they do not affect others.  Seems redundant to me.  There is a movement to establish a trust fund to remove abandoned wind farms. 

US Dept of Transportation is now viewing farmers hauling the landlord's share of the crop as "for hire"  Not sure how they handle it when each load is split between the landlord and the tenant.  Under this rule all farmers with share leases would need a CDL and be subject to drug testing. 

EPA is planning to regulate greenhouse gases without benefit of legislation.  Meanwhile, Representative Aaron Shock is questioning EPA research methods.  I bet Chuck Grassley joins him in this. 

Some are questioning new Corps of Engineers regulations concerning dredging restrictions on the lower Mississippi River. 

Guest worker reform may include E-verifications processes to insure workers are in the US legally.  I know this is a sensitive issue for many outside of ag.  Within ag, people need to realize that these jobs are going to foreign workers because US workers will not do them, even in the face of unemployment. 

Vital funding of rural broadband  continues to move, but slowly.

EPA is in the process of implementing NPDES permits for crop protection products.

Sounds like Will Rogers was right.