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July 26, 2012
Preserving Family Farms
For more information on Newsline, contact: Johnna Miller, Director of Media Development, American Farm Bureau Federation johnnam@fb.org
On thousands of farms and ranches across this country there is the tradition of one generation teaching the next about agriculture. New legislation would eliminate what many see as a threat to that tradition. AFBF Labor Specialist Kristi Boswell talks about the Preserving Family Farms Act in this story from AFBF’s Johnna Miller.
| Miller: | When the Department of Labor proposed new rules that would have eliminated the opportunity for a lot of young people to work on the nation’s farms and ranches, the agriculture community spoke out. Now that the department has rescinded that proposal, many want to make sure they don’t see a repeat performance any time soon. |
| Boswell: | The Preserving Family Farms Act was introduced by Congressman Tom Latham of Iowa when the regulation was still pending. Initially the intent was to block the implementation of that child labor proposal. When the administration withdrew the proposal Congressman Latham was still concerned and wanted to protect family farms into the future. So he amended the bill so that the Department of Labor would not be able to introduce something similar. |
| Miller: | American Farm Bureau Labor Specialist Kristi Boswell says the proposal went too far. |
| Boswell: | It was very prohibitive in what tasks it restricted. It basically prevented youth from doing simple, mundane tasks that they should be able to do with proper training and supervision. |
| Miller: | And Boswell says there’s no question it’s the Department of Labor’s job to ensure the safety of young people who work on farms and ranches, there are better ways to accomplish that. |
| Boswell: | Broad-reaching federal regulation wasn’t the answer. Looking forward we hope that we can work with the Department of Labor and the USDA in developing safety programs and possibly crafting some more appropriate regulation and looking at the current regulations to make sure that their concerns are addressed and it still protects that agricultural way of life. |
| Miller: | Johnna Miller, Washington. |
| Miller: | We have one extra actuality with AFBF Labor Specialist Kristi Boswell. In that extra actuality she talks about efforts to promote farm safety. The cut runs 19 seconds, in 3-2-1. |
| Boswell: | Agriculture can be dangerous and it is important to make sure that everyone working on our farms are safe and American Farm Bureau will continue to work with the USDA and other interested members in the industry to promote farm safety programs and to educate parents and youth who are doing the tasks on the farm on how to do things properly and in a safe manner. |
| Miller: | Newsline is updated Mondays and Thursdays by 5pm Eastern time. Thank you for listening. |