Your state lawmakers in Indiana have been busy filing new legislation for 2024. In fact, there are now over 1,750 bills filed between both the Indiana House and the Indiana Senate. Many of those bills could have a major impact on Indiana’s ag businesses.
“We’ll watch probably 30 to 40 of those bills to see if there are any effects specifically to our industry,” says Bruce Kettler, the President and CEO of the Agribusiness Council of Indiana (ACI).
One of those bills (SB 216) would get rid of more restrictive state regulations for pesticide use and replace those rules with less restrictive federal regulations.
“[The authors of the bills] wanted to make sure that people wouldn’t have to be licensed or wouldn’t have to go through training to be able to use general use pesticides,” according to Kettler. “However, our concern is that we don’t want to see people getting into business that can abuse and not properly use any pesticide. It doesn’t matter if it’s general use or restricted use, you can cause problems for your neighbors and for other farmers if it is misused.”
Kettler says there are two bills (HB 1022 and SB 57) that would regulate autonomous commercial motor vehicles—including tractor-trailers and farm equipment.
“We’ll want to watch those bills to make sure they don’t negatively affect the industry,” he says. “We don’t want bills set up so that as we get more autonomy in agriculture, it doesn’t restrict us—not only for our ag businesses, but their customers, the farmers, as well to be able to utilize the technology like autonomy.”
Additional state bills that could impact Indiana’s ag businesses include “Right to Repair” legislation (HB 1155 and SB 53) and those impacting Indiana’s major ground water withdrawal facilities (HB 1305 and SB 249).
In addition to keeping an eye on state legislation, Kettler says he’s also watching out for federal legislation that is being filed on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as well as statutes and regulations from federal agencies.
“For example, there are some things happening through the EPA on endangered species starting on the herbicide side that will also likely impact fungicides, insecticides, and other products. In fact, there are some folks that would like to require the same regulations for pesticides to also apply to chemically-treated seeds.”
Click HERE to learn more about becoming a member of the Agribusiness Council of Indiana (ACI).
Click below to hear C.J. Miller’s full interview with Bruce Kettler, the President and CEO of the Agribusiness Council of Indiana, as they discuss the legislation that has been filed during the 2024 Indiana General Assembly that could impact Indiana’s ag businesses.
AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL OF INDIANA
2024 LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY
POSITIONS AND PRIORITIES
TRANSPORTATION
• Support funding for transportation infrastructure that ensures the competitiveness of Indiana agriculture.
• Create efficiencies in the permit process so permits are less time consuming to obtain and/or renew.
TAXES & BUDGET
• Support grant programs for infrastructure improvements.
• Promote fiscal responsibility through limited spending and flatter, fairer tax policies.
• Ensure regulatory programs are consistent in enforcement, applicable across state lines and not unduly burdensome to agribusiness.
• Support rural economic development policies that expand and diversify agribusiness while respecting our farmland resources.
• Support programs to strengthen the on-farm and agribusiness labor force, including workforce development programs in high schools.
• Support fair and equal assessment of farm and agribusiness property.
• Ensure the continued expansion of broadband access in rural communities across the state.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
ENVIRONMENTAL
• Work with lawmakers and regulatory agencies to support and promote a positive business environment while those agencies maintain a responsive and appropriate amount of state-wide authority.
• Promote sustainable farming practices that protect water quality through field specific best management practices which utilize 4R nutrient stewardship principles.
• Ensure adequate funding of soil and water conservation programs that benefit producers.
LIVESTOCK
• Support Indiana’s Right to Farm Act and land-use policies that allow producers to establish or expand their operations in a reasonable and predictable manner.
GRAIN, SEED & FEED
• Maintain the Federal Treated Article Exemption designation for treated seeds to prevent costly duplication of regulations.
• Ensure fair and reasonable Food Safety Modernization Act compliance inspections.
PESTICIDES & FERTILIZERS
• Policies regulating pesticides and fertilizers should be based in science, consistent with best management practices, and ensure producers have the tools they need for a viable crop.
For more information on the 2024 policy priorities for the Agribusiness Council of Indiana, please contact Bruce Kettler, President & CEO of Agribusiness Council of Indiana, at bkettler@inagribiz.org.
