Farmers fight Illinois lawmakers on pesticides & trucks

CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — Governmental relations efforts by farm organizations needed to battle many efforts this spring targeted on prohibiting using herbicides and pesticides. However President Kevin Johnson of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Affiliation says farm pursuits prevailed.

There was a number of pesticide, speak about banning merchandise, dicamba, neo-nics, chlorpyrifos, roundup,” Johnson stated. “These kind of merchandise. We had been very a lot closely watching these. They really didn’t transfer. There was a subject listening to on dicamba, however none of these legislations on pesticides moved on the finish of the day in Springfield.”

He says its higher for governmental businesses to determine rules than lawmakers.

We attempt to speak with legislators, particularly when they’re speaking about banning merchandise, is these merchandise are, all registered by way of US EPA and Illinois Division of Ag, they’ve went by way of background, and analysis and every little thing from there,” Johnson stated. “That’s primarily based on science or US EPA or Division of ag on re-approving these kind of merchandise. And most merchandise get a re-review each 5 years anyway. And that’s what we’ve been speaking on dicamba, there may be going to be a re-=assessment on the finish of this 2022 crop.”

When the following Common Meeting convenes subsequent 12 months, Johnson says the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Affiliation will foyer for extra methods to get extra truck drivers.

“The largest situation we’re taking up right here at IFCA is trucking points,” Johnson stated. “Attempting to rent truck drivers, there have been some new federal guidelines on the entry stage driving coaching. If it’s a must to rent a brand new truck driver they usually have a category D license, only a common license, to get them as much as a category A, its going to speak about 4 weeks of coaching. If it is advisable get into a category A with a hazmat license, that’s about six weeks. So, anyway, that we are able to get extra truck drivers and get employed, additionally making an attempt to tweak a number of the ELDT stuff right here on the state legislature, both through guidelines or progressive laws, making an attempt to assist that course of for our retailers.”

That’s our report from the Farm, I’m Stu Ellis with WCIA-3, your native information chief.