In Iowa, standing up for our farmers is common sense. That’s why I have been surprised to see so many individuals siding against Iowa farmers and families.
I’m referring to Iowa Senate File 394, a piece of legislation making its way through the State Senate that seeks to codify EPA health and safety regulations into Iowa state law. This bill is not a so-called immunity shield for pesticide manufacturers. There are still several pathways for those who believe they are harmed by these products to seek damages. What the bill does do is cut red tape and provide certainty for farmers around the products that they use.
Who would be opposed to such an even-handed approach to agriculture policy? Trial attorneys, the litigation industry, and their anti-modern agriculture allies who seek to make noise rather than common sense policy at the state house. Make no mistake about it – these liberal special interests are seeking to line their pockets on the backs of hard working Iowa’s family farmers, all while taking away farmers’ ability to access American-made crop protection tools, like glyphosate.
Those seeking to undermine Iowa’s farmers and our agricultural sector are up to their usual tricks. Luckily, I know that our policymakers won’t allow scare tactics to intimidate them into making bad policy decisions. We must allow cooler heads to prevail when making these important choices for our state.
The bad policies coming out of Washington the last four years have made life incredibly difficult for farmers. America has become a net-importer of food, with a $49 billion Ag trade deficit. With farm input cost up nearly 30% over the last 4 years and commodity price down 30% over the last three years alone. So many family farms have been forced into taking on more debt due to high prices of farm inputs. According to the American Farm Bureau, farm bankruptcies are up a whopping 55% over just a year ago. My own family farm has struggled over the last 4 years to get by. Here in Iowa, we can start to buck the trend. Iowa Senate File 394 into law will make Iowa a nationwide leader in agriculture policy again.
Farmers are stewards of Iowa’s most precious resource, our land and innovation is at the heart of what farmers do. Over the years, I have seen great improvements in our farming tools and practices. No till farming is the norm. Our soil and water quality continues to improve every year. Agriculture policy should reflect the innovation of Iowa’s farmers and ensure they continue to have access to American-made crop protection tools.
Meritless lawsuits from the litigation industry places access to these domestically produced protection and management tools at risk. If this product is pulled from the market, farmers will be forced to rely on China for farm inputs. We know what happens when we outsource our supply chain to our adversaries. They will weaponize it against us, making farming even more difficult. And the downstream effects of that are devastating.
Food prices could soar more than they already have. Farmers that have worked their land for generations could be forced to close. Crop yields will plummet. All while greedy trial attorneys, many of whom have never stepped foot on a farm, profit. That’s not fair and we must take steps to prevent agricultural catastrophe here in Iowa.
I look forward to the day when I can pass my family’s farming legacy on to my children. However, that future is not certain and must be fought for. Smart legislation like Iowa Senate File 394 will give hope to the thousands of family farms across our state that seek to continue their proud farming tradition.
I applaud the hard work that has been done by legislators on this issue so far – Sens. Bousselot, Shipley, and Sinclair and Rep. Kaufmann all deserve our praise for putting farmers first. I ask those legislators that currently oppose this bill to reconsider their stance and not allow themselves to be beholden to special interests that do not serve our state.
Most importantly, we need you to weigh in. Call your state senator and representatives. Let them know that passing Iowa Senate File 394 is a smart approach to agriculture policy. I’m confident that by working together, Iowa will continue to lead the way for American agriculture.
Jim Boyer
Emmet County, IA
When we gave the drug manufacturers immunity pre-covid itdidn’t work out to well. This is similar legislation. Perhaps in Emmet County farmers protect soil and water but I see very little evidence of that protection throughout the state. I see a wink and a nod from most farm organizations and especially the Farm Bureau regarding soil and water protection and I am a conservative Republican. Thanks for reading