Tag Archive for: Action Alert

ACTION ALERT: Testify Against HB 2548

 

WHAT: TAKE ACTION: OPPOSE HB 2548 –

AG WORKFORCE STANDARD BOARD

WHEN: Wednesday, March 12 at 3 p.m.

WHERE: House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards  – Oregon State Capitol – Hearing Room D

900 Court Street NE

Salem, OR 97301

ACTION: Submit written testimony, or testify in person or online.

HOW: Register to testify here, click on “Register to Testify” for in-person or virtual testimony, and click “Submit Testimony” to upload written testimony.

  • Registration for in-person or virtual testimony ends 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. After that time, the registration system will close.
  • If you would like to provide written testimony to the committee, see instructions to submit written testimony here.

Oregon’s agriculture industry is already grappling with the aftermath of the recent agricultural overtime law, which has led to worker dissatisfaction and reduced work hours. Now, HB 2548 proposes a sweeping, one-size-fits-all mandate that could force many family farms and ranches out of business.

HB 2548 disregards the significant protections already in place for farmworkers and threatens to fast-track a new, burdensome bureaucracy that could cripple Oregon’s agricultural industry. HB 2548 eliminates the relationship between employers and workers. It threatens the survival of family farms and ranches. And it accelerates job loss.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for producers! We need your help to protect Oregon family farms!

TAKE ACTION! Submit testimony into the record, register to testify in-person or virtually, AND contact your legislators today and make your voice heard. Tell them to VOTE NO on HB 2548.

ABOUT THE POLICY

HB 2548 includes two provisions:

  1. It creates an unelected governing body with the authority to set increased regulations for Oregon farms at least EVERY TWO YEARS:
  • Set higher minimum wage;
  • Set piece-rate wages;
  • Establish requirements for rest breaks, work schedules and working hours;
  • Provide training on worker rights by state-certified worker organizations; and
  • Establish new workplace health and safety requirements for agriculture.
  1. Eliminates at-will employment for agriculture and dictates how farm employers can discipline or terminate workers. HB 2548 creates a private right of action against employers who make termination or disciplinary decisions that an employee or trial attorney disagrees with.

TALKING POINTS

This legislation would make it so expensive and risky to employ people, that many farms would have no choice but to reduce their footprint in Oregon, layoff employees, or sell to the highest bidder.

Our concerns about these bills include:

  • The elimination of the relationship between employers and workers
  • They threaten the survival of family farms and ranches and accelerates job loss
  • They are duplicative of existing worker protections

The concept puts Oregon’s farm and ranch families in an untenable position.

  • Shift in Burden of Proof: The proposal would require employers to prove the reasonableness of a termination, shifting the burden to them. Family farms and ranches would be vulnerable to costly litigation, as they would need to defend against employment claims, even in situations involving market conditions, poor yields, or weather events.
  • Increased Litigation Costs: Family farms already face enormous financial strain. It costs around $75,000 just to settle a claim before it reaches court. Adding legal risks will only increase financial pressure, especially for small, family-run operations.
  • Economic Hardships: Many Oregon farms are already struggling with poor yields and low commodity prices. Most will spend the next several years recovering from cash losses incurred in 2023 and 2024. This proposal adds another layer of uncertainty that could force family farms into financial ruin.
  • Impediments to Staffing Flexibility: The proposals limit necessary flexibility for staffing and termination decisions, making it harder for employers to navigate the unpredictability of farming. These restrictions could lead to difficulty in hiring and maintaining a workforce.
  • The bill threatens the livelihood of family farms and ranches by imposing unnecessary legal burdens. It increases costs and limits the flexibility needed to manage agricultural businesses. At a time when family farms are struggling to stay afloat, the Legislature should reject this punitive concept.

RESOURCES

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Oregon Seed Council Executive Director, Megan Chuinard.

ACTION ALERT: Testify Against HB 3362 – Tire Tax

WHAT: OPPOSE HB 3362 – TIRE TAX

WHEN: Tomorrow, March 4 at 5 p.m.

WHERE: Joint Committee on Transportation – Hearing Room D – Oregon State Capitol

900 Court Street NE

Salem, OR 97301

ACTION: Submit written testimony, or testify in person or online.

HOW: Register to testify here, click on “Register to Testify” for in-person, or “Submit Testimony” to upload written testimony.

HB 3362 would impose a 4% excise tax on the retail sales price of tires.

This bill has been scheduled for a hearing Tuesday, March 4 at 5 p.m. in the Joint Committee on Transportation.

Please engage in-person if possible, we need producers to show up and testify in strong opposition to this bill!

Use the talking points below to craft a personalized email to Co Chairs Gorsek and McLain and members of the Joint Committee on Transportation with your OPPOSITION to HB 3362.

To register to testify in opposition to HB 3362, click here; click on “Register to Testify” next to the bill number for in-person or virtual testimony.

Talking Points

  • This bill penalizes Oregon farmers.
  • Rural Oregonians travel farther to get to work, to do business, and to support their families.
  • Farmers are navigating a continued rise in cost of production, and tires are used for agricultural equipment, to transport products, to harvest commodities, and to transport commodities to the end user. This tax would put a new cost on production at every step of the way.
  • The funding from this proposal does not go to support critical infrastructure investments.

RESOURCES

If you are looking for how to testify, get engaged in the legislative process, or details about the legislative session, please check out the Oregon Seed Council’s Guide to the Legislative Session here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Oregon Seed Council Executive Director, Megan Chuinard.

ACTION ALERT: Support Dr. Clint Mattox

ACTION REQUESTED: As individuals and/or from the organizations you represent, please send a letter/email to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, the Honorable Brooke Rollins requesting reinstatement of the weed science position at USDA-ARS — Dr. Clint Mattox.

Please act quickly, decisions on reinstatement are being considered now.

BACKGROUND: Three USDA-ARS staff in the Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit in Corvallis were recently terminated. Two staff have been reinstated to their positions, Dr. Mattox’s position has not been reinstated and his work critical to the industry.

See Oregon Seed Council letter to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, the Honorable Brooke Rollins here.

Click here for an letter template.

 

For an expedited response, please send correspondence to the Secretary via email: agsec@usda.gov

If you would prefer to mail a letter, please use the address listed below.

United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250

ACTION ALERT: Testify Against Fertilizer Restrictions

 

WHAT: OPPOSE SB 747 – FERTILIZER RESTRICTIONS

WHEN: Tomorrow, February 4 at 1 p.m.

WHERE: Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Wildfire – Hearing Room D

ACTION: Submit written testimony, or testify in person or online.

HOW: Register to testify here, click on “Register to Testify” for in-person, or “Submit Testimony” to upload written testimony.

SB 747 would require every landowner in the state with more than 200 acres of irrigated agricultural land to register and annually report fertilizer use, with a goal of having the Oregon Department of Agriculture “identify persons who are overapplying fertilizer” and impose civil penalties for violations.

This bill has been scheduled for a hearing Tuesday, February 4 at 1 p.m. in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire. Agricultural groups have NOT been engaged on this bill concept and we had no notice of this bill’s hearing ahead of it getting scheduled for a hearing next week.

Please engage in-person if possible, we need producers to show up and testify in strong opposition to this bill!

Use the talking points below to craft a personalized email to Chair Golden and the Committee in OPPOSITION to SB 747. 

To register to testify in opposition to SB 747 here; click on “Register to Testify” next to the bill number for in-person or virtual testimony.

Talking Points

  • Fertilizer is a very expensive input, with costs skyrocketing in recent years. Producers are already disincentivized from applying more than is needed.
  • Fertilizer rates vary widely based on crop and soil type, weather, and a list of other factors. Rates alone cannot determine overapplication, and there is no standardized guidance on rates based on the variety of factors that impact nutrient needs and uptake. Agronomic rates vary even between different varieties of the same crop.
  • The concept as drafted reflects a lack of understanding of both crop nutrition science and groundwater impacts.
  • 200 acres is an arbitrary number with no connection to data or evidence.
  • What is being proposed here is a multi-million dollar program that would not yield the information suggested in the bill language.
  • This issue deserves a robust discussion with producers and experts.

RESOURCES

If you are looking for how to testify, get engaged in the legislative process, or details about the legislative session, please check out the Oregon Seed Council’s Guide to the Legislative Session here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Oregon Seed Council Executive Director, Megan Chuinard.


Megan Chuinard
Executive Director
Oregon Seed Council
503.585.1157
Megan@MAC-Consulting-LLC.com

 

ACTION ALERT: Comments Needed on the EPA’s Insecticide Strategy

ACTION ALERT: SIGN INDUSTRY COMMENT LETTER ON EPA INSECTICIDE STRATEGY BY SEPT. 21, 2024

WHAT: The EPA released a draft Insecticide Strategy (IS) in late July.
Public comments are being accepted through September 23.
EPA’s intent is to use the draft IS to put in place a framework of runoff/erosion, spray drift, and in some cases on-field mitigations to reduce risks to endangered species and their critical habitats, aiming to bring its pesticide program into compliance with the Endangered Species Act, however, the complexity, cost, and potential to  significantly reduce pest management effectiveness are highly concerning for the agricultural community.
ACTION REQUESTED: Join the coalition of farmers, producers, applicators, and others to highlight shared concerns with the draft IS.
View the letter here.
TO SIGN ON, COMPLETE THIS FORM.
DEADLINE: The deadline to sign on to this letter is 9:00 a.m. Saturday, September 21.

KEY CONCERNS:

  • COMPLEXITY- Producers/applicators will need to determine their compliance obligations for every field under production, which include factors such as whether a field exists in one or more of ten pesticide user PULAs; runoff potential in counties in which you farm; the slope, soil type, or distance to unmanaged areas; crop type produced; what insecticides are being used and what pests are being treated; application type (foliar, soil, seed treatment, etc.); weather conditions, including humidity, wind speed, and direction; existing runoff/erosion or spray drift mitigations on a field; among other conditions.
  • COST –  It would require insecticide users to attain “points” by implementing certain runoff/erosion reduction practices (rate reductions, reduced tillage, cover crops, vegetative filter strips, contour farming, riparian areas, mulching, water retention systems, etc.) to use most insecticides. Many insecticides may require 6 or 9 points to use, depending on crop produced and geography. These practices could cost growers or landowners hundreds to thousands of dollars per field annually to install and maintain.
  • REDUCED PEST MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS – The draft IS would require downwind spray drift buffers as great as 320 feet for aerial application or 230 feet for ground application (these distances could be reduced by using coarser spray droplets, partially treating a field, installing windbreaks, or other mitigations.) These significant buffers could leave large crop areas untreated. Untreated crops and edge of field practices may create pest refuges for reinfesting and damaging treated fields.

OREGON SEED COUNCIL ENGAGEMENT: The Oregon Seed Council joined a nationwide coalition and a statewide coalition requesting an extension for comments to allow time for organizations to conduct outreach to members, and provide thoughtful and quality feedback to the 700 page proposal. This request was denied by EPA.

BACKGROUND ON EPA STRATEGIES
September 14, 2023, the EPA released an announcement that it had “Resolved Longstanding Litigation to Protect Endangered Species, Ensure Pesticides That Feed and Fuel America Remain Available.” The litigation, often referred to as the “mega litigation case,” or “mega suit” covered over 1,000 pesticide products containing one or more of 35 “active ingredients.” Originally filed in 2011 by the Center for Biological Diversity and Pesticide Action Network Federal Court in California against EPA, the complaint alleges that the EPA was violating the Endangered Species Act (ESA) when it registered or reevaluated the registration of 382 pesticide active ingredients.
Related to the litigation, in 2022, EPA issued its ESA Workplan, Balancing Wildlife Protection and Responsible Pesticide Use: How EPA’s Pesticide Program Will Meet its Endangered Species Act Obligations. The workplan describes how EPA plans to address the challenge of protecting ESA-listed species from pesticides.
An ESA workplan update was released in November of 2022.More information on EPA ESA actions are available here.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.

We appreciate your help!


Megan Chuinard
Executive Director
Oregon Seed Council
503.585.1157
Megan@MAC-Consulting-LLC.com

 

Contact

(503) 585-1157
info@oregonseedcouncil.org