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Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association (KARA) joined nearly 200 organizations in sending a letter to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting the agency engage with stakeholders to discuss improvements to its Endangered Species Act risk assessment process for pesticides. The letter highlights why EPA has both a responsibility and would benefit from using more refined risk assessment processes, identifies potential improvements that could be used, and calls on the agency to expeditiously engage with stakeholders to improve its ESA risk assessment processes. Under the ESA, all federal agencies, including EPA, are...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing an update to the level at which atrazine is expected to adversely affect aquatic plants. The new revised atrazine concentration of 9.7 micrograms per liter (µg/L), which was derived following an August 2023 peer review, will be used to develop a revised regulatory decision on the degree at which atrazine affects aquatic plants as well as fish, invertebrates and amphibians. The level at which atrazine is expected to adversely affect aquatic plants is also known as the concentration-equivalent level of concern or CE-LOC....

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced the publication of a heat standard proposal that would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in workplaces affected by excessive heat. “The nation’s first-ever federal safety standard addressing excessive heat in the workplace,” would apply to all employers conducting outdoor and indoor work in all general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture sectors where OSHA has jurisdiction. Excluded from the rule would be short-duration employee exposures to heat, emergency response activities, work at indoor sites kept below 80°F,...

Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association (KARA) joined more than 150 national, state and regional organizations in urging United States House of Representatives leaders to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill this congress before the legislative process begins anew in the 119th Congress. The letter explains the need of millions of Americans who rely daily on the provisions of the Farm Bill to produce food, fiber and fuel. The aforementioned organizations who signed the letter expressed the need for the Farm Bill's updated policies, provisions, initiatives and critical funding supporting the group's collective interests. VIEW...

On June 18, in response to an action by Governor Laura Kelly, the Kansas legislature convened a one-day Special Session where two matters were debated. The first was a comprehensive tax relief bill. The second item was approval of a Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonding package intended to incentivize the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals sports franchises to come to Kansas City, Kan. Both bills were passed, and the governor has indicated she will sign the bills into law. COMPREHENSIVE TAX RELIEF – Senate Bill 1: The House and Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass...

Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association (KARA) has submitted a comment to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) detailing the critical need for access to dicamba products, particularly a proposed dicamba herbicide developed by BASF. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has received an application from BASF for a new product containing the currently registered active ingredient dicamba. The product proposal includes over-the-top application of dicamba on both dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybeans. Because the application involves a new use pattern for dicamba, the Agency is providing a 30-day public comment period on the...

Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association’s (KARA) scholarship committee reviewed more than 100 applications and awarded nearly $10,000 in financial aid to seven of the state’s high school graduating seniors and current college students for the 2024-25 academic year. “We are proud each year to assist local students in pursuing their academic aspirations,” KARA’s president and CEO Ron Seeber said. “Our board of directors, scholarship committee and overall membership congratulate and wish nothing but the best for this year’s recipients as we collectively look forward to their future contributions to our industry.” Each year,...

The Kansas Water Office (KWO) plans to hold meetings aimed at generating broad, and continued, legislative interest in fully funding the state water plan. Similar to the regional planning sessions Kansas Dept. of Transportation held when putting together the Kansas Highway Plan, the state’s vision is to put conduct similar regional/consult listening meetings across the state to receive feedback on funding priorities for the new state water plan funds. June 17 | 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Colby June 18 | 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Dodge City June 20 | 2:00...

Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association (KARA) has submitted a comment to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) detailing the critical need for access to dicamba products. According to its notice, published on May 3, 2024, EPA has received an application to register new uses for a new pesticide product containing Dicamba, a currently registered active ingredient, for use in Dicamba-tolerant cotton and Dicamba-tolerant soybeans. To make dicamba available for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton for future growing seasons, EPA must act swiftly. Growers need to know use conditions by late 2024 to...

Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association (KARA) has been working with USDOT and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on an issue of regulatory non-compliance that has been identified in the agribusiness industry in Kansas and throughout the Midwest. KARA recently had a productive meeting with PHMSA and is working to inform its members of information on the SP waiver. Please contact the association office by phone (785-234-0463) or email Randy Stookey (randy@kansasag.org) for any questions or concerns on how to apply for the Special Permit waiver SP12412 (dot.gov). PHMSA has determined that a USDOT special permit is...

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