NASDA adopts policy at winter conference
Members of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) gathered in Washington, D.C. Feb. 4-17 for the 2024 NASDA Winter Policy Conference.
By the time the event wrapped up, the national association had adopted 11 policy amendments and five action items regarding a range of topics from food waste reduction and farm management resources to tax incentives and dicambia availability.
Policy amendments
On Feb. 7, NASDA members adopted 11 policy amendments including changes to indemnity for historic per- and poly fluoroalkyl substances, land application, farmworker housing, food waste reduction, farm management resources, farm safety and tax incentives.
Changes were also made to policy regarding conservation workforce, improvement of federal farmland preservation programs, reducing administrative barriers to conservation programs, support for federal soil health funding and mRNA vaccines.
Action items
As the first of five action items, NASDA members voted to support consistency and transparency on pet food labels.
According to the association, this action item encourages state feed regulatory programs with authority over pet food to adopt the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food while respecting individual state authorities and processes.
The second action item adopted at the conference is support for appropriate funding for state meat inspection programs.
This item urges the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Congress to appropriately fund state meat inspection programs to ensure a healthy and robust food supply.
NASDA’s third item calls for additional research on solar development, including agrivoltaic compatibility, impacts on farmland, farmland conversion, land access and transition and farm viability.
“Research should include partnerships with state agencies, local and county governments and colleges and universities,” reads the Solar and Agriculture Compatibility action item text.
In the fourth action item, NASDA urges USDA, the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to collaborate on developing a strategy for long-term challenges regarding U.S. agricultural labor shortages, in an effort to secure the success of the nation’s agricultural industry.
The fifth and final item adopted by NASDA looks at dicambia availability.
“In light of the Feb. 6 Arizona Federal District Court decision on dicambia, NASDA is deeply concerned about the impacts on the 2024 growing season,” reads the text. “NASDA strongly encourages the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to immediately use all available discretion regarding existing stocks to ensure channels of trade are not disrupted.”
Additionally, NASDA asks EPA to work with manufacturers to fast track registration before the 2025 growing season.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
