EPA to Regulate Farm Dust

One of the staples of springtime in Iowa is the clouds of dust rising from behind tractors as farmers’ plant fields across the state. It is one of those signs that inform the multitude of rural residents that spring has indeed sprung. But apparently the US Environmental Protection Agency feels that this yearly occurrence is a threat to public health. As such the EPA is saying that in the interest of public safety they intend to regulate this dust.

The regulations in question are designed to limit airborne particles of a larger size than has been previously regulated. Among the particles that these rules would target is the dust that is produced during farm operations. What the regulations do not do is taking into account the fact that most often farmers do not have control over the creation of this dust. For instance, when you are traveling down the highway and see a farmer planting his field in dry years you see a cloud of dust shadowing the machinery. This dust is created when the machinery stirs up the dirt during the planting process. Or perhaps it is sometime in fall, you see a combine harvesting the beans or corn. As the combine harvests the crop dust is created from the dry plant material in combination with the dirt being stirred up by the combine’s wheels. Another situation when dust is created is not necessarily related to farm work. When a vehicle travels over a dry gravel road dust is created. There really is not much that can be done to quell the production of this dust, but the EPA is insistent on regulating it nonetheless.

It should be quite obvious that these regulations will hamper the nation’s farm economy. It will place an unnecessary burden on farm operations large and small by requiring them to lessen the creation of this dust. Charles Grassley is using his clout as our US Senator in an attempt to lessen the negative impact these rules will assuredly have on farmers. In a letter to the EPA Senator Grassley points out that control of farm related dust production will be impossible. Thank you Senator Grassley, now will some of our other federal legislators step up to the plate in defense of farmers across the country.