Happy 2021! As we welcome 2021 and reflect on 2020, let us look for the positive opportunities that 2021 will bring us.
As I work in the shop to get equipment ready for Spring there is no better satisfaction than doing a job myself and doing it right. On the other hand, it can be good to seek the help and advice of experts when needed.
If we want to have beneficial agricultural rules and regulations in the Indiana Statehouse and on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C, we shouldn’t rely on just the experts. We need to roll up our sleeves and go to work to get the job done along with the experts. These rules and regulations affect our business of farming and our livelihoods. At the end of the day, the experts go home but we’re the ones being directly affected by the outcome. I encourage each and every one of you to read and study the issues.
The best way to do that is to study the issue.
The ISA Membership and Policy Committee can help with that, too. Two of the ways that policy members can learn about the potential laws and regulations on the horizon is to read a couple of newsletters produced by our staff: Grower News and Heard in the Halls.
Grower News is emailed to policy members every other Thursday throughout the year. Grower News covers policy issues on both the national and state level.
Heard in the Halls is published every Friday during the General Assembly at the Indiana Statehouse, and it ends when the session does sometime in April. To give you an idea of what is in Heard in the Halls, here are a few of the potential new laws that the ISA staff is monitoring now: • SB 389 repeals the law requiring a permit from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for wetland activity in a state-regulated wetland. • HB 1150 says that the department of state revenue may not assess a penalty on a citation for an oversize load after more than one year has passed from the date the person receives the citation. • SB 227 creates a three-tiered system for civil penalties ($250, $500, $1,000) for pesticide application violations. Factors such as the chemistry used, the intent of the individual, and resulting effects were used to determine the appropriate penalty level.
You are invited to become a member of the policy side of ISA and help us complete the job of representing you (the farmer) in the government process. The policy side is not funded by checkoff dollars, and we can only represent you with membership money. If you wish to become a member, contact Rachel Conner at rconner@indianasoybean.com. If you are already a member, thank you for allowing us to work on your behalf.
Macy Mead joins the team
We just hired a new team member to help with our membership efforts. Join me in welcoming Macy Mead, who is the new Industry Affairs Project Manager for ISA, the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and the Indiana Corn Growers Association. Macy will have the responsibility of leading our membership and corporate
Macy Mead sponsorship activities. She will also execute the Industry and Public Affairs marketing plan and events in coordination with the Marketing and Industry Affairs teams.
Macy is a recent graduate of Purdue University, majoring in Agricultural Sales and Marketing and received a certificate of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. While at Purdue, Macy worked as a member of the Closing Team for Wendt Group, closing pig and cattle sales. A long-time 4-H member, she has shown pigs nationally. We’re excited to have Macy join our team.
Until we meet again . . . Happy Planting!
Mike Koehne
