Labor Conference & Wetland Mitigation

Labor Conference & Wetland Mitigation

Labor Conference & Wetland Mitigation. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

wafla is again presenting their annual labor conference February 18th at Central Washington University in Ellensburg. This year's conference focuses on prevention and retention best practices and strategies. Topic include Pay for Nonproductive Work, Onboarding Best Practices and Audits Ag Employers Shouldn't go Without. There will be twelve breakout sessions. For more information or to register online go to wafla.org.

A new Farm Bill conservation program takes a market based approach to restore ag based wetland ecosystems. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack explains the background and intent of wetland mitigation banking.

VILSACK: Producers can purchase credits generated from previously drained wetlands which are restored and approved for wetland mitigation to offset the loss of benefits where producers installing new drainage in a wetland. This is a tool that's been used by producers in compliance with the swamp buster provisions of a previous farm bill where producers basically can either avoid the conversion of a wetland, mitigate on-site or mitigate off-site. Unfortunately producers don't always get the benefit of traditional mitigation banks because bigger developments and developers have advantages over individual producers.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.

Previous ReportCiderCON & The Lost Language
Next ReportZika Virus & GMA Ruling