Sensible Regulations Part 2
Sensible Regulations Part 2. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.
Former Senator Blanche Lincoln from Arkansas is the Chairwoman for the group Small Businesses for Sensible Regulations, a project of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). They have been looking at some of the proposed legislation that will affect small businesses that in this case extend to farmers and ranchers where young workers may be prohibited from working if they are under the age of 18. Lincoln says that could have detrimental effects.
LINCOLN: The average age of a farmer today is about 57 I think, 58. We’ve got to make sure that we’ve got farmers in the pipeline and making sure that these young adults and teenagers can participate in the farm is going to be a real here. Some of these fundamental changes of how the Department of Labor interprets these existing parental exemptions for family farms could restrict the ability of youth to work on common farm equipment such as tractors and other implements like that.
Farming is one of a few really good places to intern and learn the trade.
LINCOLN: It could change and hinder the ability of our youth in training and educational programs to really gain some real life experience working on farms whether it’s internships, mentor programs, other things like that. Maybe perhaps even our FFA, our 4-H programs. You know these are critical programs. They’re great after school programs that really allow our youth to learn about agriculture but they learn leadership skills and a whole host of other things, too.
She says the language of the Department of Labors proposal could keep youth out of working with animals.
LINCOLN: Some of the language greatly expands the universe of prohibited equipment which the youth can work with. Out west where you all are, orchards. There’s a big issue there in terms of orchards and fields where they’re harvesting fruits and vegetables limiting the potential for youth under the age of 16 working in those family orchards or the family fields. They’re just real issues where we want to make sure when these regulations are coming down that the perspective from our family farms, the hard working family farms across this country who really do want youth to learn the love of agriculture will have the ability to learn that real life experience out there. Absolutely with the kind of safety that everybody wants to have but with the possibility of some of these restrictions absolutely restricting them from ever being in that position is something we don’t want to see happen.
That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
