A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest state agribusiness association in the nation. | |
New OSHA Program Revises Safety Inspections at Warehouses, Distribution Centers | |
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched a national emphasis program to prevent workplace hazards in warehouses, processing facilities distribution centers, and high-risk retail establishments. This includes Farm Product Warehousing and Storage.
In the past 10 years, warehousing and distribution centers have experienced tremendous growth with more than 1.9 million people employed in the industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows injury and illness rates for these establishments are higher than in private industry overall and, in some sectors, more than twice the rate of private industry.
"Our enforcement efforts are designed to do one thing: lead to permanent change in workplace safety," said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. "This emphasis program allows OSHA to direct resources to establishments where evidence shows employers must be more intentional in addressing the root causes of worker injuries and align their business practices with the goal to ensure worker health and safety."
Under this three-year emphasis program, OSHA will conduct comprehensive safety inspections focused on hazards related to powered industrial vehicle operations, material handling and storage, walking and working surfaces, means of egress and fire protection. The program will also include inspections of retail establishments with high injury rates with a focus on storage and loading areas; however, OSHA may expand an inspection's scope when evidence shows that violations may exist in other areas of the establishment.
In addition, OSHA will assess heat and ergonomic hazards under the emphasis program, and health inspections may be conducted if OSHA determines these hazards are present.
Inspected establishments will be chosen from two lists. One includes establishments with industry codes covered under this emphasis program. The second consists of a limited number of retail establishments with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses resulting in days away, restricted duty or job transfer.
State plans are required to adopt this emphasis program or establish a different program at least as effective as the federal model.
Emphasis Program Details
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INREC Hiring Project Coordinator for Batch and Build Projects | |
The Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council (INREC) is partnering with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Select Farms, and other partners on a “batch and build” project. The Pig Farmer Batch and Build Project targets bioreactor and saturated buffer implementation by pig farmers and landowners who utilize manure as a fertilizer source in targeted watersheds. These conservation practices are very effective at reducing nitrate loss from tile drainage.
INREC is seeking candidates to apply for a project coordinator position, who will serve as the primary contact and organizer for project implementation activities including recruiting farmers and landowners, surveying sites, planning construction, and enrolling participants in financial assistance programs.
Download the position description: INREC Project Coordinator
For more information or to apply, contact Ben Gleason, INREC Executive Director, at bgleason@agribiz.org.
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Seed Corn Cover Crop Initiative Signup | |
The Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crop Initiative is a project developed by the Iowa Seed Association in partnership with the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, Iowa Corn, and Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. Farmers continue to show interest in the adoption of cover crops on acres used for seed corn production. Nearly 200 seed corn growers signed up for funding in 2022, covering over 41,000 acres, saving almost 125,000 tons of soil, and spending an estimated $1.6 million of their own money to implement cover crops.
Partnerships with eight seed companies, representing the vast majority of seed corn production in Iowa, provide cost share, technical assistance, outreach, and education dedicated to seed corn growers. Funding incentives available to seed corn growers are $15 per acre for winter-hardy and $10 per acre for winter-kill cover crops. An additional $5 per acre incentive is available for first-time cover crop users. Visit www.sustainableseedcorn.org to apply. Applications must be submitted before cover crops are planted.
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Next Golf Outing:
August 24 - Amana Colonies Golf Course
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July 13 - Okoboji, Iowa
Emerald Hills Golf Course
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Aug. 24 - Amana, Iowa
Amana Colonies Golf Course
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Sept. 13 - Ames, Iowa
Coldwater Golf Links
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Summer Crops Workshop - August 3 | |
Batch & Build: Edge of Field Impact and Implementation
Conservation agronomists are implementing projects to build dozens of bioreactors and saturated buffers to reduce nitrate loss in tile drainage. Learn how using the Batch and Build model of conservation practice adoption is being used to create a larger, faster impact. And gain insight on the effectiveness of these edge of field practices.
Full Schedule Online
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Showcase Attendees: $50
Non-Attendees: $75
LOCATION:
Jeff & Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center
Iowa State University | 2508 Mortensen Rd | Ames, Iowa
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Lunch included
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Iowa Grain Quality Initiative Advisory Committee
In Attendance:
Tyler Teske, AAI Marketing Director
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August 3
Ag Professional & CCA Summer Workshop
9:00 AM | Hansen Ag Student Learning Center, Ames, Iowa
August 24
AAI Golf Outing - Amana Colonies Golf Club
9:00 AM Shotgun Start | Amana, Iowa
September 13
AAI Golf Outing - Coldwater Golf Links
10:00 AM Shotgun Start | Ames, Iowa
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EPA Seeks Nominations for the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee | |
EPA is accepting nominations for membership on the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC). Established in 1995, the PPDC is a diverse group of stakeholders chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to provide feedback to EPA on various pesticide regulatory, policy, and program implementation issues.
To maintain a broad representation of members for the PPDC, nominees will be selected from among the following:
- Federal, state, local and tribal governments;
- Pesticide industry and trade associations;
- Pesticide users;
- Grower and commodity groups;
- Environmental and public interest groups;
- Farm worker organizations;
- Public health organizations;
- Animal welfare groups; and
- Academia.
Nominations must be emailed or postmarked no later than August 10, 2023, and can be submitted by email to the Designated Federal Official (DFO) listed below with the subject line “PPDC Membership” or by mail to:
Jeffrey Chang
PPDC Designated Federal Officer
Office of Pesticide Programs
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20460
For additional information, read the Federal Register notice on nominations for the PPDC or contact the DFO, Jeffrey Chang (chang.jeffrey@epa.gov) or call (202) 566-2213.
Additional information about PPDC
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Russia ended the Ukraine grain-export deal nearly a year into the agreement, heightening uncertainty over global food supplies and escalating tensions in the region.
The pact, previously extended in May, will cease to be effective as of Tuesday, the foreign ministry in Moscow said in a statement. Russia had repeatedly threatened to leave the deal, which had marked a rare example of cooperation during its war in Ukraine. The corridor’s shutdown will hit key buyers like China, Spain and Egypt.
“Unfortunately, the part concerning Russia in this Black Sea agreement has not been fulfilled so far,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian news agency Tass. “Therefore, it is terminated.”
The move jeopardizes a key trade route from Ukraine, one of the world’s top grain and vegetable oil shippers, just as its next harvest kicks off. It also comes after Russia on Monday said Ukrainian drones damaged a key bridge to Crimea.
The pact — brokered by the United Nations and Turkey — has ensured the safe passage of almost 33 million tons of crop exports via the Black Sea since it was signed in July 2022, helping world food-commodity prices ease from the record levels reached after Russia invaded. However, it has been bogged down by issues including slow vessel inspections in recent months.
[...] Read Full Story
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An explosion at a Dow Chemical plant in Louisiana isn’t expected to disrupt ag chemical supplies in the U.S., according to Rabo AgriFinance. That’s as the industry seems to be swimming in supplies of key inputs such as glyphosate, forcing suppliers and ag retailers to cut prices in an effort to get rid of unused supply.
An explosion and fire broke out at a Dow Chemical plant in Plaquemine, Louisiana late Friday night. The site produces several different chemicals, including one used as a fumigant in agricultural products. There hasn’t been any information released about a possible cause, but reports indicate at least six explosions occurred Friday night at a Dow manufacturing site that covers 883 acres. The incident caused a large mushroom cloud of smoke.
The plant is one of Louisiana’s largest petrochemical complexes, and the disruption is sparking flashbacks to what happened in 2021 when Hurricane Ida’s direct hit on Bayer’s largest glyphosate plant pushed the manufacturing site offline for nearly two months. The one event sent severe supply shockwaves through the entire agriculture industry.
Sam Taylor, Farm Inputs Analyst for Rabo AgriFinance, says the incident at the Dow Chemical location on Friday shouldn’t impact availability of ag inputs for farmers.
“I've not been given that indication that it will. That's the feedback that I've received,” says Taylor.
Why was the hurricane's impact such a heavy weight on the entire industry? As strict Covid-19 protocols in China continued to restrict production of active ingredients essential to make products like glyphosate, the hurricane compounded already strained supplies.
According to Reuters, Bayer saw herbicide sales jump 44% in 2022 after Hurricane Ida damaged rival producers and constrained Chinese suppliers failed to plug the gap. Farmers felt the impact in terms of pricing and supplies. In the fall of 2021, glyphosate prices were up as much as 300%, but finding the supply was an even bigger problem reported by farmers. As competitors have been able to return to the market this year, prices have been dropping.
[...] Read Full Story
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Source: Progressive Farmer
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A federal court in North Dakota granted a stay in an ongoing multistate lawsuit against the EPA's latest waters of the U.S. rule, giving the Biden administration time to complete a rewrite.
The U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota sided with an EPA motion to delay the case.
"The court has carefully reviewed the motion and the entire record and finds the federal defendants have demonstrated good cause for the grant of a stay," U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland said in an order.
Agriculture and other business interests filed a motion to vacate the rule, while the 24 states that sued and received a preliminary injunction against the WOTUS rule did not oppose a delay to allow for a rewrite. Another stay remains in effect in Texas and Idaho as well.
The stay will remain in place, according to the court's order, until a new final rule is published in the federal register. Once that's completed, the court will give parties in the case another 21 days to submit proposals for further court proceedings.
The Supreme Court's May ruling in Sackett v EPA essentially left the current rule unenforceable.
In that case involving Idaho property owners Michael and Chantell Sackett, the Supreme Court ruled the agency's use of the "significant-nexus" test in making Clean Water Act determinations was unconstitutional. The test is one of two the Biden rule uses to make determinations.
[...] Read Full Story
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Animal-rights activism is big business with various groups having the shared goal of eliminating animal agriculture. In 2022, new data shows that extremist groups brought in more than $800 million in annual income, while groups’ extreme tactics continued to put farmers, food workers, and animals in danger.
The Animal Agriculture Alliance has released two reports detailing the animal-rights movement’s interconnectedness and tactics targeting animal agriculture.
The Animal Rights Extremist Web exemplifies how animal rights groups are strategically connected in many ways, including personnel and financial support.
Several updates were made to the Animal Rights Extremist Web, including several new groups for the farm and food community: The Accountability Board and the Organization for Competitive Markets.
The Accountability Board, which fronts itself as a non-radical group and invests in over 100 of the largest publicly traded companies to force environmental and animal welfare change, is led by former Humane Society of the United States employees Josh Balk and Matthew Prescott.
The Organization for Competitive Markets sought to “enforce” rules within the agriculture community and was added to the web due to Marty Irby’s involvement as a board member. Irby is also a former employee of HSUS with close ties to its former president and CEO, Wayne Pacelle. Sentient Media, Animal Partisan, and Farm Action were added to the web.
The Radical Vegan Activism in 2022 report highlights efforts to attack animal agriculture and the true intentions of these organizations with quotes from leadership.
[...] Read Full Story
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