Ag News: EPA Approves Hemp Pesticides
**Last month, EPA announced approval of nine biopesticides and one conventional pesticide for use on hemp.
According to agweb.com, this was the first time the federal agency approved products for use on hemp since the December 2018 Farm Bill provisions removing hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, legalizing hemp for commercial use and production.
Go to epa.gov for a full list of those products, which include insecticides, bactericides, miticides, fungicides, and nematicides.
**As Roger Johnson prepares for his final few months as president of the National Farmers Union, he sees family farmers facing a lot of challenges as they move into 2020 and beyond.
The North Dakota farmer and former state ag commissioner has led NFU since 2009, but last month announced he would not seek reelection.
When Johnson took over NFU, he faced challenges because the NFU's investments had taken a beating in the 2008 stock market collapse.
**Last week, in recognition of January 2020 as National Biotechnology Month, the USDA, FDA, and EPA launched a Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation.
The Website streamlines information about the agencies charged with overseeing agriculture biotechnology products and is part President Trump’s Executive Order on Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotech.
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue says biotechnology will continue to be an essential tool in helping America’s farmers and ranchers feed, fuel, and clothe the world.