ISSUE 1085 FFVA CONDUCTS EDUCATIONAL TOUR FOR NEW EPA OFFICIAL FFVA’s Environmental and Pest Management
(EPM) Division conducted a scaled-down version of the full-blown
Spring Regulatory Tour October 13-15 for a new administrative
hire at EPA headquarters. The tour offered the new Agricultural
Counselor to the EPA Administrator an opportunity to learn
about crop production in Florida and how regulations impact
producers’ ability to grow their crops in the state.
The three-day event covered strawberry, sandland
vegetable, citrus, sugarcane, muck vegetable, woody ornamental
and sod production, as well as public health pest management
and aquatic weed control. Discussions on the tour centered around topics
and issues such as land use, water quality, water quantity,
permitting, labor, nutrients in the waters of the EAA, Critical
Use Exemptions, canker eradication, greening, TMDLs, BMPs
and stormwater treatment areas. Opportunities were also scheduled throughout
the week for the counselor to meet personally with groups
of producers while traveling through their particular areas
so that growers could have one-on-one opportunities to convey
their thoughts and concerns directly. The goal of this educational effort was to
highlight the vast complexities associated with production
and to draw attention to the other indistinct yet substantial
factors and regulations influencing production that growers
face on a daily/weekly/annual basis. The counselor took a much clearer picture of Florida production complexities back to Washington with him. It was his recommendation that in addition to the Spring Regulator Tour, which caters primarily to career scientists and decision-makers within the Agency, that these additional education activities be mandated and attended by federal and regional EPA administrators who are either new to the position or have any unfamiliarity with south Florida agriculture.
ALSO IN THIS WEEK'S RAP-UP (Members-Only articles are indicated in bold.) |
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