'Are They Allowing Political Science To Creep In?': Johnson Asks Rancher About EPA Labelling Rules

4 months ago

During a House Agriculture Committee hearing in July, Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) asked Don Cameron, Vice President and General Manager of Terranova Ranch, whether the Environmental Protection Agency's crop protection labels.

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00:00I recognize the pride of South Dakota.

00:03Mr. Dusty Johnson for five minutes.

00:06Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:07Mr. Cameron, come to you.

00:10I think we all realize producers deserve a consistent science-based approach toward crop protection tools,

00:18a national labeling standard that embraces that consistency and that science-based approach.

00:23It seems like we increasingly have a state or two that wants to be in the business of conflicting labeling standards.

00:35Tell me about the frustration or the complication that causes producers.

00:44I said earlier that when you have a product that's fully registered in one state but not in another,

00:51I think it put that state at a disadvantage.

00:54They can't compete equally, and it creates issues.

01:00We may have an insect infestation that needs a product that isn't fully registered within that state.

01:10It creates issues.

01:10It creates the use of using more material, maybe more toxic materials,

01:17to try and find a solution to the problem a grower may have.

01:22So, you know, I'm always in support of uniform labeling and uniform, I guess, distribution of the product

01:32and the legality, the legal side of application.

01:35And I think the committee here, most members, well understand the rigorous science-based approach

01:42that EPA engages in to get these labeling requirements.

01:47I think it's broadly accepted across the industry.

01:51States that are attempting to do their own labels have their own processes.

01:56Do any of them match or exceed the rigor of what we see at the federal level?

02:00Occasionally, that is the case, yep.

02:03They may make the product more restrictive, put buffer zones.

02:09Well, I know that they may be more restrictive, but is their scientific analysis, I mean,

02:15are they doing more science or are they allowing political science to creep into their findings?

02:20I think it's probably a mix of both.

02:22Yeah, sure.

02:23Okay, how about for you, Mr. Abbott, let's, you talked about, and I thought appropriately so,

02:29that ESA compliance has been trending away from practical solutions and toward more land restrictions.

02:38It seems like in some cases that can be the wrong approach.

02:41Can technology help solve these problems?

02:45I believe so, and I'll say I lived in your beautiful state for five years.

02:49I was a DuPont rep up there, so I lived in Pierre, actually Fort Pierre, West River.

02:55So I would say, yes, the adjuvants play a huge part into that on the ESA.

03:01There's several different things that can be and were recognized from nozzles, different things.

03:07But in order to fine-tune it and help reduce that buffer even more, because let's face it,

03:12if you do a buffer zone, that's lost production, and that's money out of the farmer's pocket.

03:16So I'm not saying that we don't need to pay attention to the endangered species,

03:22but I think we have the tools and the technology to mitigate that.

03:28And so you mentioned nozzles.

03:31I mean, help us understand, I mean, explain for folks a little bit how some of these drift reduction tools,

03:38these practical tools can help.

03:39I mean, how do they work?

03:40Sure.

03:41So when you add that to the tank mix, it's going to help increase the volume, the VMD is what it's called,

03:51and it's the droplet size.

03:53Because what spreads and what drifts is fines.

03:56When you come out of the nozzle body, out of the orifice, it's going to drift across the field.

04:02We're influencing that to minimize that.

04:05You're never going to totally eliminate it, but you can definitely severely reduce that.

04:11I don't have any particular answer in mind, but is there something Congress can do to encourage

04:16more of these technological, practical solutions rather than just carte blanche land restrictions?

04:22I would say work within the committees that are in Congress in support and the funding,

04:30because I think some of this they don't quite understand.

04:33We need to get adequate resources there to bring in the experts, if you will.

04:39Thank you very much, gentlemen.

04:40Mr. Chairman, I would yield back.

04:41Thank you very much.

'Are They Allowing Political Science To Creep In?': Johnson Asks Rancher About EPA Labelling Rules

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