Clean Water Decision & Beginning Farmer Program

Clean Water Decision & Beginning Farmer Program. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Can farmers be held liable for drift of pesticides and other chemicals that may find their way into waters and streams? That is a question the U.S. Supreme Court may address as it considers a request by Farm Bureau and others to reconsider a lower court’s decision which resulted in the imposition of the Clean Water Act permitting requirements on the application of pesticides on, over and near water. Next week, the high court is expected to decide if it will rehear the case. Tyler Wegmeyer is a Director of  Farm Bureau’s Congressional Relations and he acknowledged that a favorable outcome seems unlikely - especially after the Justice Department filed a response in opposition to the petition.

WEGMEYER: Betting lines not good but I tell you if they do do it, it’s like a grand slam home run as far as we’re concerned but we’re not putting a lot of money on the table thinking that’s going to happen.

USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture is making available more than 18-million dollars in grants to help train, educate and enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. The program is an education, training, technical assistance and outreach program designed to help U.S. farmers and ranchers -specifically those who have been farming or ranching for 10 years or less. NIFA will make grants available to organizations to design programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers. Proposals are due April 6.

Now here’s today’s Washington Grange Report.

(GRANGE)

That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.