The Iowa Farmers Union has filed a petition with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in an effort to get some new pesticide spray-drift rules made.
Or, to put in another way, to give IDALS the letter it needs to help get the resources needed to change and uphold existing regulations.
The petition, hand-signed by executive director Jana Linderman of Cedar Rapids and bearing the names of the 13 members of the board of directors, is dated Dec. 15. It asks the department to “amend certain administrative rules relating to regulation of pesticides.” There are five recommendations to change specific Iowa Code sections, and one recommendation for a new section to the code.
The farmers’ union is attempting to get help from Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Pesticide Chief Dr. Gretchen Paulch. The union wants help in reducing overspray from reaching the fields of the farms that have non-GMO commodities and organic and specialty crops.
The letter’s intent is to “help build on IDALS’ existing framework in a way that will better allow for a variety of farm types to co-exist and prosper, side-by-side, and promote increased diversity in Iowa agriculture.”
Linderman said the timing of the petition is somewhat tied to the beginning of the Iowa State Legislature’s 2015 session, as fighting for appropriations and code changes are the two aims of the petition.
“It took us about a year to put the petition together,” Linderman said. “It’s an urgent set of issues, regarding funding and staffing and policies that are about information.”
The union represents both farmers who produce conventional crops using commercial pesticides and ones who are transitioning to non-GMO or organic crops. Linderman said there are about 800 USDA-certified organic farms in Iowa, but the concerns about spray drift are about far more than organic or specialty acreage.
“It’s much broader than organic or simply non-GMO crops,” she said. “There are a lot of varieties in our state that shouldn’t have Roundup applied to them.”
Linderman said she didn’t have any exact statistics handy Monday related to the number of farms or organic farms in the Jasper County area. The recommendations include changes to certification and continuing education for pesticide applicators.
There are also recommendations for applicators to show financial responsibility for spray drift damage, to keep and maintain records differently and to provide 48 hours notification of crop spraying.
The final recommendation for a code change calls for a change in monetary fines for violators of pesticide policies, and an amendment that will provide for referrals for criminal prosecution, where applicable.
“Many farmers have told me that it just isn’t worth their time, trying to recoup losses,” Linderman said. “And even if a file gets sent to a county attorney, in an egregious case, these are only serious misdemeanors.”
A new section to Iowa Code, according to the letter’s request, would include remedies available to parties affected by spray drift. The section would detail practical and legal procedures to be followed, and would require such information to be kept current on the department’s website.
“There needs to be a direct list of steps affected parties can take, and information available about anyone who is spraying pesticides,” Linderman said. “For example, farmers would like to know if others in their area have been having the same problems. There isn’t currently a nice, searchable database.”
The petition concludes with a request to hold a meeting with the agency to discuss the petition. She said it’s important to be patient regarding the legislative possibilities.
“Our understanding is that the funding side is the first one to be addressed,” Linderman said. “The others are helping provide pieces of information, so that spray drift isn’t as much of a mystery.”