There’s never a shortage of agriculture news. Here are a few policy stories you may have missed over the past week.

Booker and Lee call for greater checkoff transparency

Sens. Cory Booker, D- N.J., and Mike Lee, R- Utah, co-authored an editorial in The Hill last week calling for checkoff program reforms. As elected officials, they say it’s their job to fix police that benefit the powerful and influential at the expense of everyone else.

The two Senators note that producers of certain commodities are required to pay a tax, but a substantial portion of that money is given to organizations they contend are sometime lobbying against farmers’ best interest. That includes efforts that lead to the consolidation of multinational agribusiness corporations.

“However well-intentioned the checkoff program may have been at the beginning, its eventual corruption has transformed it into yet another mechanism of control over our food system by powerful corporations,” Booker and Lee say in their opinion piece.

To combat the problem, the two Senators are pushing for passage of a bill known as the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act. Introduced in February, the legislation would prohibit checkoff program boards from entering into a contract or agreement with parties who engage in actives to influence government policies or actions related to agriculture.

USDA accepting ARC, PLC applications through March 15

USDA announced this week it would begin accepting applications for the Farm Service Agency’s Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs. The deadline to apply for these 2024 crop year protection programs is March 15.

FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux notes that the recent farm bill extension means it’s business as usual for both programs. Nothing has changed from previous years.

“These programs provide critical financial protections against commodity market volatilities for many American farmers so don’t delay enrollment,” Ducheneaux says. “Avoid the rush and contact your local FSA office for an appointment because even if you are not changing your program election for 2024, you still need to sign a contract to enroll.”

EPA proposes new rules on meat, poultry plant waste

The EPA will hold public hearings on Jan. 24 and Jan 31 to consider a rule proposal intended to reduce pollution from meat and poultry produce facilities. The agency says it prefers to establish more effluent limitations for nitrogen as well as limitations on phosphorus. The preferred option would also establish pretreatment standards for oil, grease, total suspended solids and biochemical oxygen demand. The rule would affect approximately 805 of the country’s estimated 5,000 meat and poultry products facilities.

The agency is alco considering two additional options that would establish pretreatment standards for nitrogen and phosphorus for some of the indirect discharge facilities included in the preferred option. Additionally, EPA is seeking comments on a proposal that would require segregation and management of high-salt waste streams produced at some facilities as well as a plant to add E. coli bacteria as a regulated parameter for direct discharges.

White House considers relaxing summer E15 rules

EPA submitted a rule proposal to President Biden that would allow permanently allow year-round E15 sales in eight states that have requested it. Those states, which include Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin, have been lobbying for the change since April 2022. A final decision on the rule is expected in the next few weeks.

Iowa and Nebraska have already gone to court pushing for the summer E15 sales to be allowed immediately. The EPA previously proposed allowing summer sales by March 28. However, officials in those states argue that doesn’t leave them enough time to prepare for the summer driving season.

At this point, it seems the only remaining question regarding summer E15 in the eight midwestern states seems to be when the law will go into effect. However, that may not be the end of the story. Some lawmakers are pushing for legislation that would allow year-round E15 sales across the country.