A coalition of Kansas based commodity groups have written to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts urging him to include regulatory reform measures in the 2018 Farm Bill. The letter was signed by the Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association, the Kansas Corn Growers Association, the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Soybean Association. This represents the four largest crops grown in Kansas. 

The letter was organized by Kansas Agricultural Aviation Association (KAAA) Executive Director Rhonda McCurry and Steve Hitchcock, who handles KAAA government affairs. 

The letter reads in part, “We will note that there was no objection to these specific [regulatory reform] provisions when the House passed its version of the Farm Bill. They are bi-partisan, common sense, and vitally needed during these uncertain times for the agriculture industry. With mounting trade tensions, farm income the lowest it has been in 12 years, and the recent spate of activist court rulings impacting the agriculture industry, regulatory relief cannot come a moment too soon.”

These reforms include eliminating the need for a costly National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Pesticide General Permit (PGP) for products already certified under FIFRA and only allowing states and the federal government to regulate pesticides, not local or county governments. Additional reforms would speed up the consultation process between different government agencies to streamline the extremely expensive and rigorous registration process for pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).