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Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology
Terry Kippley, CPDA
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In this Issue:
- CPDA Welcomes Three New Board Members
- CPDA Listening Tour: Albaugh and Chemorse
- House Agriculture Committee Approves New Farm Bill
- CPDA EPA Working Group Meeting
- CPDA's Endangered Species Act Committee
- CPDA Social Media Committee
- Battelle Tour
- Save the Date: 2024 CPDA Annual Meeting
- Industry Events
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CPDA Welcomes Three New Board Members
We are pleased to announce that the CPDA Board of Directors approved the addition of three new Board members at its April 28 meeting. Joining us are:
Dr. Jeff Bunting: Jeff is the Vice President of Crop Protection & Division Manager at GROWMARK.
Anne Turnbough, Ph.D.: Anne is Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and a member of the Executive Team at AMVAC.
Troy Palmer: Troy is the Agriculture Specialties Regional Market Director for North America for Syensqo.
These industry experts, with their broad range of knowledge, expand our Board of Director’s areas of expertise and perspective, allowing CPDA to better respond to member needs. Please help me in welcoming Jeff, Anne, and Troy!
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Member Company Listening Tour
Last week I continued my 2024 Listening Tour with a visit to Albaugh, LLC and Chemorse.
I met with long-time CPDA member Albaugh's senior leadership team on pivotal topics such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA), EPA/California registration backlog, and the Farm Bill. These discussions are crucial as we navigate the complexities of agricultural regulation and strive for innovation in agrotechnology. I really enjoyed touring Albaugh's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in St. Joe, MO and a round of golf at Dennis Albaugh's magnificent Talon's of Tuscany with industry veterans and friends.
I then had the opportunity to delve into the fascinating manufacturing process of adjuvants with the senior management team at Chemorse, a longstanding CPDA member in Des Moines, IA. They provided me with an in-depth understanding of adjuvant manufacturing.
ESA compliance will be a significant challenge for our industry. Drift reduction agents (DRA’s) play a crucial role in reducing off-target drift, ultimately minimizing the requirement for extensive buffer zones. I am thankful for the insights shared by their senior management team. This experience reinforces the importance of collaboration and innovation in meeting the challenges of ESA compliance. Together, we can continue to advance our industry while upholding the highest standards of environmental stewardship.
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Terry Kippley, CPDA; Greg Mulhall, retired Albaugh; Troy Haage, Chemorse; Bill Card, retired WinField United and Spencer Vance, Albaugh. | |
House Agriculture Committee Approves Farm Bill
On May 23, after a 13-hour marathon session, the House Committee on Agriculture, led by Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), adopted by a 33-21 vote, The Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2024 or 2024 Farm Bill.
To the surprise of some, four Democrats joined every Republican on the Committee to support its passage. The four crossover Democrats are: Yadira Caraveo (CO), Don Davis (NC), Eric Sorenson (IL) and Sanford Bishop (GA). The next step is a vote and approval by the full House – something that is not likely to happen until September, at the earliest.
The Democrats who voted “no” on the bill, disagree on three fundamental provisions in Mr. Thompson’s package.
- The Chairman’s mark uses $18 billion authorized in the previously enacted Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for climate-smart agriculture and conservation programs and redirects it into traditional conservation programs.
- Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) reforms. TFP is a USDA program that represents the cost of a nutritious, practical, diet prepared at home for a family of four. The TFP is the metric used to determine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamp) benefits. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the House plan would result in a roughly $30 billion SNAP cut over the next decade; and
- A provision that would eliminate USDA’s authority under Section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) that would restrict use of CCC funds and save about $10 billion over 10 years.
What’s Next?
While the House Agriculture Committee has finished its work, the Senate Agriculture Committee is still putting together its own plan. Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has indicated that progress is being made, but a lot of work remains.
Last week, Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) indicated that Senate Republicans will release their own Farm Bill framework saying in an interview:
“Ours will be very similar to GTs, (House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson) and I think he’s done a really good job of listening to the farm community and then trying to address the problems that we see out there. And so, we’ll be working with him and Senator Stabenow and Congressman Scott again, trying to work out differences and get a farm bill done as soon as possible. People say, ‘Senator, we’ve got to get this done,’ and I agree. On the other hand, this is a five-year commitment. Once we do this, this is a contract with our farmers for five years. So, we don’t need to just do something. We need to do the right thing.”
Congress and agriculture have four pathways forward to approve a new Farm Bill:
- Pass a new bill before the 2018 Farm Bill expires on September 30.
- If no agreement can be reached by September 30, extend the 2018 Farm Bill for another year. This would be the second time the 2018 Farm Bill has been extended.
- Pass a new Farm Bill after the election in a “lame duck” session.
- Start over in 2025 with a new Congress.
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CPDA EPA Working Group Meeting
On Friday, May 24, over twenty members of CPDA’s EPA Working Group met virtually to review current regulatory issues and establish priorities for the ongoing dialogue with the leadership of EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs.
Special thanks go to CPDA member company representatives Dave Bolin (Atticus), Nathan Ehresman (Albaugh), and Sherry Hutcheson (UPL) for their leadership and expertise. Key issues before the Committee include:
- Distribution of Data Evaluation Reports to registrants upon completion of PRIA actions.
- Regular updating of EPA’s product label (PPLS) and registration document (PDMS) databases.
- Regular updates from EPA’s Label Reform Work Group.
- Whether EPA prefers Selective Data Citation or Cite All approach for efficacy data for public health pests.
- OPP warned that “there will be considerable pain over the next 12-14 months,” due to OPP budget cuts resulting in longer review times and backlogs for PRIA actions.
- Citing multiple reference products for an active ingredient in support of me-too applications.
Priorities for EPA leadership dialog include:
- Reducing resources and time required for me-too product reviews. CPDA agreed to develop a proposal for OPP review.
- Synchronize registration approval of new technical products with associated end-use products.
- Revision of PR Notice 98-10 to cover additional registration actions under non-notification.
- Propose that the registrant be notified automatically that a “notification” action submitted under PRN 98-10 has been “closed without review” 60 days after submission. Any issues arising subsequently would be dealt with by enforcement.
- Practical means of combining review and approval of common label changes affecting multiple labels.
- Improve value to registrants of tracking information for PRIA and non-PRIA actions.
With a full plate of issues and activities, your input is needed. If you would like to join the next meeting, please contact Ray McAllister at rsm6consulting@gmail.com.
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CPDA's Endangered Species Act Committee
CPDA’s ESA Committee met with scientists from EPA’s Environmental Fate and Effects Division on May 22 to continue our dialogue seeking inclusion of Drift Reduction Adjuvants (DRAs) as a preferred option to mitigate ESA no-spray restrictions.
I am pleased to report that we are making progress as EFED staff indicated that DRAs will be an ESA mitigation component in EPA’s final Herbicide Strategy, scheduled for release on August 31. This follows a CPDA-organized letter to EPA Assistant Administrator Jake Li, signed by thirty-five ag organizations, supporting the use of DRAs as a mitigation option.
During the meeting, EFED requested additional data. CPDA’s Expert Team, led by Eileen Bernard (Nutrien) and Dr. Connor Ferguson (Simplot) are getting the data EPA needs before our next meeting with EFED, tentatively scheduled for later this month.
On a similar note, CPDA convened a meeting of its Adjuvant Stakeholder Group the next day to discuss the development of a CPDA Certified Drift Reduction Program to verify whether a specific adjuvant would qualify as a DRA under EPA’s ESA Work Plan and Strategies.
With these two developments, DRA acceptance as a highly effective, easy to implement and often low-cost option for growers and applicators to reduce drift has never been higher.
If interested in becoming more involved, please contact Eileen Bernard at eileen.bernard@nutrien.com.
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CPDA Social Media Committee
CPDA’s Social Media Committee met virtually last week, led by Bill Smith, Helena Agri-Enterprises. The committee's goal is to promote CPDA, member companies and initiatives that brings awareness to the industry.
CPDA's strategy moving forward with our LinkedIn page is to support and promote member company content and reshare relevant information. Members are encouraged to reshare CPDA content that is in-line with their followership to help strengthen and support the CPDA brand.
The next Teams meeting will be on Tuesday, July 23rd, 1:00 EST. If you are interested in participating, please send a message to social@cpda.com
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Battelle Tour
CPDA member Battelle will hold a tour of their West Jefferson and Columbus, Ohio facilities on July 31st. The tour will focus on their wind tunnel and volatility testing capabilities along with an overview of its analytical labs, PFAS research and emerging contaminants work.
Register by July 10th for this free tour.
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Save the Date: Make Plans to Attend the 2024 CPDA Annual Meeting
The date and location for the 2024 CPDA Annual Meeting are set. This year’s meeting will be held on September 15-18 in beautiful San Diego, California. Please make plans to attend as we will layout our 2025 policy agenda while providing updates on a number of key CPDA initiatives.
Like the last two annual meetings, we will be holding our annual meeting at the same time CropLife America is holding theirs. To take advantage of this partnership, we will be holding a joint networking reception with CLA where you can reconnect with old friends while making new ones.
Agenda Includes:
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Sunday, September 15
- CLA/RISE Welcome Reception (CPDA Members Invited)
Monday, September 16
- CPDA Executive Committee Meeting
- CPDA Board Meeting
- CLA/RISE Networking Reception (CPDA Members Invited)
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Tuesday, September 17
- CPDA General Session
- Senior Executive Panel discussing regulatory & technical changes on the way
- Legislative Panel: Farm Bill Priorities & Political Outlook
- CPDA Awards
- Practical Implications of Implementing ESA Mitigation at the State Level
- CPDA Networking Reception & PAC Silent Auction
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AgriBusiness GlobalSM Trade Summit
7-8 August 2024
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort | Florida, USA
Dedicated to Worldwide Networking and New Business Development
The Trade Summit is the trusted forum for advancing development in the rapidly emerging global crop protection, ag tech, plant health, and biological sectors. It attracts leaders in the upstream value chain of manufacturing companies, export and trading companies, importers, and distributors at the national level.
The 2024 Trade Summit will facilitate global trade by offering educational sessions, a robust exhibit floor, private meeting rooms, and dedicated networking opportunities for the world market to connect, engage, and build business.
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North Central Weed Science Society Volunteers Needed!
The NCWSS and ABG AG services are looking for volunteers for the NCWSS Weed Contest to be held on July 25th at ABG Ag in Sheridan, Indiana. This is a great opportunity to build awareness of our industry, and your company, with the next crop of agronomists and weed scientists.
If you would like to volunteer, please fill out the NCWSS Contest Volunteer Form and send to LeAnna Trail (ltrail@abgagservices.com) by June 14, 2024.
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