Ag leader: U.S. regulation threatens farmers, ranchers

SAN DIEGO – Excessive regulation by the federal government threatens the viability of farming and ranching, the head of the country's largest farm group said Sunday.

Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, used much of his speech to more than 4,500 people at the group's annual convention to warn of a barrage of regulations from the government. He focused specifically on a rule proposed last spring by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers known as the "Waters of the U.S." rule.

"As damaging as the weather or economic winds can be, farmers' and ranchers' biggest challenge these days seem to come from their government," Stallman said. "Farmers and ranchers care deeply about our environment and are focused on continuous improvement. … But we cannot sustain the nation's food supply if excessive restrictions and regulatory costs make the business of farming and ranching economically unsustainable."

Despite assurances from the EPA, the farm bureau and other agricultural groups contend the Waters of the U.S. rule would expand the scope of "navigable waters" protected by the Clean Water Act to include not only rivers and lakes but ditches, stream beds and self-made ponds that only carry water when it rains.

As a result, farmers say they would face higher costs for environmental assessments and need to apply for permits to allow them to till soil, apply fertilizer or engage in some conservation practices because of the impact it might have on waterways that would be newly regulated by the EPA.

Some agriculture backers have looked to the Agriculture Department to work on their behalf to get rules such as "Waters of the U.S." dismissed or changed. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told farm bureau members there is an unfair expectation that the USDA can "impose its will" on other agencies.

"That's not the way it works," Vilsack said, noting the USDA regularly offers feedback on the effect a regulation may have on agriculture. "We can't stop a sister agency from doing something just in the same way that they can't tell us what we need to do."

Stallman also said Congress needs to move aggressively to pass legislation before this fall, when attention will shift to the 2016 presidential election. He cited funding the government and finding a way to keep the Highway Trust Fund, which is used for highway construction, maintenance and other surface transportation programs, among the things Congress must do. Congress has approved a series of stopgap measures to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent; the most recent temporary measure expires in May.

"The leadership in both the House and the Senate may be looking for bills that can garner bipartisan support and looking to move those early this year," Stallman said. "All of this means that farm bureau will need to be aggressive, and we will need to begin our advocacy efforts as soon as possible."

The Texas rice and cattle farmer later told reporters the group would be "very actively engaged with the new Congress," but he acknowledged it would still be a challenge with Republicans controlling Congress and a Democrat in the White House.

The nation's largest farm group will focus on a host of issues, including increasing exports, easing congestion on the country's railroads and at ports, maintaining farmer access to biotechnology and pushing for a reliable, legal workforce for agriculture through immigration reform.

"Farmers and ranchers need these things and, more importantly, everyone who eats needs these things to get done, so that all Americans can continue to enjoy an abundant food supply and live in a nation that is secure," he said.

Organizations representing the agriculture industry have said a failure to reform labor policy would threaten to drive more production outside the country, leave more fruits and vegetables vulnerable to rotting in fields, and put at risk the abundant and safe U.S. food supply. The White House announced executive action on immigration in November, but it is expected to have a limited impact on agriculture.

The biggest beneficiaries of any new immigration bill in agriculture would be dairy, cattle and swine farmers in states such as Iowa, as well as in California, Florida and other areas where undocumented workers make up much of the workforce used to harvest fruits and vegetables. Row crops such as corn and soybeans are harvested mechanically, reducing the need for human labor.

The three-day American Farm Bureau Conference ends Tuesday.

Contact Christopher Doering at cdoering@gannett.com or on Twitter at @cdoering.