Texas Commodity and Regulatory Information

CRP enrollment begins March 12

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced an upcoming sign-up period for the agency’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), beginning March 12 through April 6. An estimated 6.5 million acres will expire on Sept. 30, 2012. Currently, 30 million acres are enrolled in CRP. Click here for more information on the CRP enrollment period.

CDL regulations off the drawing board

Earlier this year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that they were considering changes to their rules pertaining to agriculture. Two of the changes that could drastically impact agriculture were requiring a commercial driver's license (CDL) for anyone who operated a farm tractor or implement on a highway, and making the determination that  a producer, when hauling a harvested crop that includes the landowner’s portion, would be considered commercial business and thus not applicable to the farm exemption currently utilized by agriculture producers. The license requirement would restrict  a young family member’s operation of a tractor as they would be subject to all the CDL regulations such as minimum age. The change to classify hauling a landowner’s portion on a crop as commercial would require the driver to have a CDL and the truck to be registered as commercial. 

After extensive efforts by the Texas Farm Bureau and many other agriculture organizations to educate the FMCSA on a better understanding of these issues and their implications, they withdrew the proposed changes. 

Division Overview

Function:
• Implement a state and national program to influence decisions of government agencies on rules and regulations and administrative actions that affect farmers and ranchers.
• Provide staff leadership on environmental and labor issues.
• Assist Farm Bureau members in dealing with regulatory and administrative actions at the state and national level.
• Give producer-members an opportunity to take part in programs and activities directly related to their individual commodities.
• Ensure that all actions reflect policy adopted by TFB members for the benefit of members.
 

Background:
The Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Commodity Division was created when TFB delegates adopted the “Expanded Program” at a special called Session in March 1971. The purpose, as stated in the delegate action, was, “An opportunity be provided Farm Bureau members, having a common commodity interest, to work together within the structure of the Farm Bureau organization to analyze problems of mutual interest or concern to develop and recommend to the Farm Bureau organization ways and means for solving problems, meeting needs objectives within policy guidelines of the Farm Bureau organization.”

Implementation of environmental law is often a high priority of our regulatory activities. In 1987, the TFB Board authorized the establishment of a Regulatory Affairs Department. This department provides staff assistance to the TFB Natural Resources Committee. Recommendations from this committee cover a range of issues, including endangered species, pesticides, all water policy, education and more.  TFB put “lobbying wheels” and direction under the programs and became an integral part of our organizational activity.

Combining the two divisions—Commodity and Regulatory Affairs—took place in 1994.  The staff began working to implement a state and national program by combining commodity-specific concerns with regulatory impacts, to influence decisions by government agencies on rules and regulations that affect farmers and ranchers. The program of work also includes providing staff leadership on environmental and labor issues, and assisting Farm Bureau members with regulatory and administrative actions at the local level. Commodity activities give the producer-members an opportunity to take part in programs and activities directly related to their individual commodities. These functions are coordinated through the Commodity and Regulatory Activities Division.