NEWS YOU CAN USE ~ NOVEMBER 4, 2020
A monthly collection of recent news, upcoming events, and articles of interest
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ICCA Executive Committee Approves CCA CEU Extension
The executive committee of the International Certified Crop Advisor board of directors recently announced that Certified Crop Advisors ending their CEU cycle on Dec. 31, 2020 and are short CEUs may request a 12-month, one-time extension that will permanently change their CEU cycle ending date going forward.
The process will be as follows:
- All CCAs who are short CEUs will be emailed on November 25 alerting them to their shortage. This email will still include alternatives to earn CEUs but will also include the COVID time extension request as an option.
- The CCA will be asked to provide a brief description, through email, as to how COVID impacted them and prevented them from earning enough CEUs by the end of the year.
- The request is received at the ICCA office and then is sent to the local board administrator. The administrator contacts the CCA to encourage completion of CEU cycle and suggests potential CEU opportunities that could be done. If the CCA still wants to receive the extension, then the local board decides to grant or deny it and notifies the ICCA office of their decision.
- The request will be sent to the CCAs local board via the local board administrator for review and approval/denial. If denied, the local board must provide an explanation for the denial to be shared with the CCA. The ICCA office will monitor all requests.
- Once approved, their CEU cycle is extended by one year, and they continue with a new cycle ending date of 12/31/21.
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Soil Health Presentation Video Now Available
As mentioned in the last newsletter, the American Dairy Association Northeast recently sponsored video production of a presentation by No-Till Alliance Directors Lisa Blazure and Leroy Bupp.
Their presentation, "Healthy Farms, Soils and Waterways," is now available for viewing by visiting the 'resources' page of the PA No-Till website at https://panotill.org/resources/. Be sure to check it out!
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It's Soon Time to Renew Your No-Till Alliance Membership for 2021
In the near future, be on the lookout for your calendar year 2021 membership renewal in the newsletter and by direct mail. Your Board of Directors looks forward to receiving your renewal, as it is the interest and support from members that truly drive the Alliance and its many programs and activities. A great 2021 is on the horizon - we hope you'll join us!
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The PennAg APC/Seed Council winter meeting will take place VIRTUALLY on Thursday, November 12, with four separate Zoom sessions including the APC and Seed business meetings, and morning and afternoon sessions. Topics to be discussed include tariffs and effects on commodities, a 2,4-D Task Force update, and regulatory updates from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture as well as the American Seed Trade Association.
A highlight of the day will also be a discussion on the relevance of dicamba in today’s world by Kimberly O’Brien from Bayer Crop Science, which will count for pesticide education credits.
Click here to register for the 2020 APC/Seed Winter Meeting! Once your registration is received in the office, you will receive an email with the schedule and all the important Zoom information and links.
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National No-Till Conference - January 12-15
The National No-Till Conference will be held as scheduled in Indianapolis, IN on January 12-15, 2021. Behind the theme “Building Your No-Till Edge,” the conference will feature more than thirty expert speakers, including Alliance board member Steve Groff, at a mix of general sessions, no-till classrooms and smaller no-till roundtables.
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EPA Update on Dicamba Registrations
Last week, the EPA announced it is approving new five-year registrations for two dicamba products and extending the registration of an additional dicamba product. All three registrations include new control measures to ensure these products can be used effectively while protecting the environment, including non-target plants, animals and other crops not tolerant to dicamba.
EPA approved new registrations for two “over-the-top” (OTT) dicamba products—XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology and Engenia Herbicide—and extended the registration for an additional OTT dicamba product, Tavium Plus VaporGrip Technology. These registrations are only for use on dicamba-tolerant (DT) cotton and soybeans and will expire in 2025, providing certainty to American agriculture for the upcoming growing season and beyond.
To manage off-site movement of dicamba, EPA’s 2020 registration features important control measures, including:
- Requiring an approved pH-buffering agent (also called a Volatility Reduction Agent or VRA) be tank mixed with OTT dicamba products prior to all applications to control volatility.
- Requiring a downwind buffer of 240 feet and 310 feet in areas where listed species are located.
- Prohibiting OTT application of dicamba on soybeans after June 30 and cotton after July 30.
- Simplifying the label and use directions so that growers can more easily determine when and how to properly apply dicamba.
The 2020 registration labels also provide new flexibilities for growers and states. For example, there are opportunities for growers to reduce the downwind spray buffer for soybeans through use of certain approved hooded sprayers as an alternative control method. EPA also recognizes and supports the important authority FIFRA section 24 gives the states for issuing locally appropriate regulations for pesticide use. If a state wishes to expand the federal OTT uses of dicamba to better meet special local needs, the agency will work with them to support their goals.
This action was informed by input from state regulators, grower groups, academic researchers, pesticide manufacturers, and others. EPA reviewed substantial amounts of new information and conducted assessments based on the best available science, including making Effect Determinations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With this information and input, EPA has concluded that these registration actions meet Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) registration standards. EPA believes that these new analyses address the concerns expressed in regard to EPA’s 2018 dicamba registrations in the June 2020 U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Further, EPA concluded that with the control measures now required on labels, these actions either do not affect or are not likely to adversely affect endangered or threatened species.
To view the final registration of the dicamba products, visit docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-0492 at www.regulations.gov.
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DEP Posts Final, Amended NPDES General Permit for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the October 31 PA Bulletin of the availability of amended NPDES General Permit for Operation of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (PAG-12).
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Pennsylvania has Highest Percentage of Young Producers in the Nation
Lancaster County, PA has most Young Producers in the Country
According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service announcement last week, Pennsylvania has the highest percentage of young farmers in the nation. Pennsylvania has 12,598 young producers (under age 35), accounting for 14% of the commonwealth's 90,500 farmers. This is the highest percentage of young producers as a share of total producers in the nation.
The share of young producers is higher in the Northern states. Following Pennsylvania, states with the highest percentage of young producers as a share of total producers includes North Dakota, Indiana, Nebraska, South Dakota, New York, and Ohio (all 12%).
Counties with the highest proportion of young producer-operated farms were largely in the Great Lakes, Northern Great Plains, and Northeast regions; counties with the lowest proportion were in the Mississippi Delta and Southeast regions.
Our very own, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has the most young producers per county in the nation, with 2,432 producers. In fact, only two counties had more than 1,000 young producers; Lancaster County (2,432 producers) and LaGrange County, Indiana (1,117 producers).
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Thank You Alliance Sponsors |
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Gold Sponsors
Lancaster Farming
MM Weaver and Sons
Stroud Water Research Center
Silver Sponsors
AgChoice and Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit
DuPont Pioneer
Gro-Mor Plant Food, Inc.
Melvin Weaver & Sons
Bronze Sponsors
American Dairy Association North East
Bayer CropScience
Fulton Bank
King's AgriSeeds
PA Grain Processing, LLC
Univest Financial Corporation
Sponsor
Bottom Line Ag Supply
Hostetter Grain, Inc.
Rosetree Consulting
The Mill
TIMAC USA
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Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance
2215 Forest Hills Drive, Suite 39, Harrisburg, PA 17112
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