Iowa Farmers Union has petitioned the State Department of Agriculture to modify their rules for commercial pesticide application. Farmers Union President Jana Linderman says they’ve heard from a growing number of Iowa farmers who’ve been impacted by spray drift from pesticides. She says that spray drift can cause significant financial harm to organic and specialty growers.
Linderman says help is needed from the state to protect those growers who have little financial recourse. She says that can be done by modifying existing rules.
Linderman says her group also wants tougher enforcement on pesticide applicators who are bad actors.
Linderman says besides the rule change, Iowa Farmers Union is also working on some state legislative fixes.