Latest news with #AaronLehman
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Iowa crops are days ahead of schedule, with admirable conditions
A field in Polk County is cultivated prior to planting corn. Aaron Lehman said his organic farming operation runs on a different calendar than conventional row crop farmers. (Photo contributed by Aaron Lehman) Farmers in Iowa had a productive week as warmer and drier conditions allowed plenty of time for in-the-field activities, including finishing up planting and beginning to spray emerged corn and soybeans. Nearly 80% of soybeans have emerged across the state, which is 10 days ahead of last year's crop and four days ahead of average pace. Corn acres across the state are 87% emerged, putting the crop nearly a week ahead of last year and one day ahead of the five-year average. Organic farmers like Aaron Lehman, who farms in northern Polk County, had a slightly slower start to the planting season than conventional neighbors. On Friday, Lehman said he hoped to finish planting his soybeans and to replant the sections of corn that 'didn't emerge very evenly' due to an above-average dump of rain that hit central Iowa during the previous reporting period. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX He said with organic farming, and a need to use seeds without synthetic coatings, he has to wait for warmer soil temperatures before he can plant and roll down his cover crops. 'So I'm on a little bit of a different calendar than some of my neighbors, but in general, field progress is pretty strong,' Lehman, who is also president of Iowa Farmers Union, said. Across the state, corn and soybean conditions rated 84% and 81%, respectively, good to excellent. Lehman said farmers in his area were concerned the rain would lead to some overripe hay, but the Monday report shows 83% of hay rated good or excellent. Temperatures across the state were slightly below normal, with an average of 62 degrees Fahrenheit during the May 26 through June 1 reporting period. According to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, smoke from the Canadian wildfires reduced solar radiation in the state, and caused a copper colored sun on several days. The lingering wildfire haze is expected to clear from the state by midweek. State forecasts call for several inches of precipitation across the state. The state average for precipitation during the reporting period was two-tenths of an inch, but soil moisture conditions dropped only slightly from the previous report, with 70% of topsoil conditions and 65% of subsoil conditions rated adequate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iowa bill to protect pesticide companies from lawsuits moves forward
An Iowa bill to protect pesticide companies from lawsuits has advanced. Senate Bill 394 would protect the companies from civil liability if their warning labels are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and consistent with carcinogen classification from federal agencies. Some consider it a big win for Bayer, the company makes the pesticide Roundup. Bayer paid about $10 billion in settlements regarding claims Roundup causes cancer. The Iowa Farmers Union opposes the legislation. Union president Aaron Lehman argues farmers need to have the right to defend their health when chemical companies' products cause damage. The bill now heads to the House. For more information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Major company's efforts to influence laws across multiple states spark fierce backlash: 'We just don't think the playing field should be tilted'
Bayer, the new owner of what was once the notorious pesticide and herbicide company Monsanto, is attempting to influence U.S. legislation that would make it harder for farmers and consumers who have gotten sick from these toxic chemicals to fight back in the courts, according to The Guardian. The legislation would essentially restrict any lawsuits over products that the Environmental Protection Agency says are safe. Versions of the measure have been introduced at the federal level and in eight states, while drafts are in the works in 20 others, The Guardian reported. Yet advocates maintain that the EPA does not adequately assess the health outcomes of pesticides and herbicides — or even their known risks — and that the proposed changes to laws are just a way for big companies to avoid more lawsuits, which have already cost Bayer billions in settlements and fees, per The Guardian. The outlet explained how the arguments over these laws are especially heated in Iowa, one of the top agriculture producers in the U.S. The state has the fastest growing rate of new cancer cases in the country, and many believe that is related to the farming industry's reliance on toxic chemicals, which saw proposed law nicknamed the "Cancer Gag Act" by opposition in the state. The use of toxic substances in mass farming — including Bayer's Roundup products — is common, but the practice has been linked to serious human health effects for years. From cancers to birth defects, it's nasty stuff. Yet with "Big Ag" throwing its support behind the potential law changes, lawmakers are seriously considering them. Their approval would get in the way of harmed individuals pursuing litigation, which is often their best shot at justice and holding companies accountable. "Our farmers feel that if they have injuries or illnesses due to their use of a pesticide they should have access to the courts," Aaron Lehman, an Iowa farmer and the president of the Iowa Farmers Union, told The Guardian. "We just don't think the playing field should be tilted." At the end of the day, it'll come down to individual legislators to enact or reject the changes. In Iowa, those involved expect the bill to pass the state senate but struggle in the house, per The Guardian. Want to make sure your state is safe from these changes? Contact your representatives and let them know your concerns. Do you worry about pesticides in your food? All the time Sometimes Not really I only eat organic Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. If you have a farm, garden, or lawn that you want to keep toxin-free, there are plenty of clean — and cheap — ways to protect your plants from pests and weeds. "The general public is simply not going to fall for Bayer's message," Andrew Mertens, executive director of the Iowa Association for Justice, told The Guardian. "But … the fight is far from over." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The Guardian
10-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Farmers ‘very worried' as US pesticide firms push to bar cancer diagnoses lawsuits
Pesticide company efforts to push through laws that could block litigation against them is igniting battles in several US farm states and pitting some farm groups against each other. Laws have been introduced in at least eight states so far and drafts are circulating in more than 20 states, backed by a deluge of advertising supporting the measures. The fight is particularly fierce now in Iowa, where opponents call the pesticide-backed proposed law the 'Cancer Gag Act', due to high levels of cancer in Iowa that many fear are linked to the state's large agricultural use of pesticides. Iowa has the second-highest rate of new cancer cases in the United States and the fastest growing rate. The bill would bar people from suing pesticide manufacturers for failing to warn them of health risks, as long as the product labels are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Organizers against the Iowa bill are planning a rally at the state capitol today after the state senate voted last week to advance the measure. Opponents say the legislation will rob farmers and others who use pesticides from holding companies accountable in court if their pesticide products cause disease or injury. 'We're very worried. Our farmers feel that if they have injuries or illnesses due to their use of a pesticide they should have access to the courts,' said Aaron Lehman, an Iowa corn and soybean farmer who is president of the Iowa Farmers Union. 'We just don't think the playing field should be tilted.' But backers of the legislation say they're trying to ensure farmers don't lose access to beneficial weed killers, insecticide and other chemicals that are commonly used in growing food. They maintain that tort lawyers exploit and entice sick people to bring lawsuits that are not backed by scientific evidence, and such actions should be limited. Several large farm groups, including the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, are supporting the bill. The actions in the states come alongside a simultaneous push for changes in federal law that would in effect shield companies from lawsuits brought by people claiming they developed cancers or other diseases due to their use of pesticides. Bayer, the Germany-based owner of the former Monsanto Co, is the chief architect of the strategy, designed as a means to beat back thousands of lawsuits filed by farmers and others who blame their use of Monsanto's Roundup herbicides for causing them to develop cancer. The litigation has so far cost Bayer billions of dollars in settlements and jury verdicts favoring plaintiffs, and more cases are pending. The company says the pursuit of the legislative changes is necessary to protect its 'important investments' and to ensure farmers don't lose access to Roundup. Bayer says it has joined with more than 360 grower and industry groups to push the federal legislative changes and with the Modern Ag Alliance coalition of agricultural organizations to fight for the changes in state laws. Bayer said in a statement that the state laws would not prevent anyone from suing pesticide makers, though they would ensure that any pesticide registered with the EPA and sold with an EPA-approved label would 'satisfy requirements for health and safety warnings'. The company said the 'future of American farming' depends on reliable science-based regulation of important crop protection products – determined safe for use by the EPA. In addition to Iowa, the measures are advancing in other states. In Missouri, the former home state of Monsanto, the proposed shield law passed through the House agriculture committee on 4 February. The legislation has not yet been formally introduced in Idaho, but a draft has been circulating among lawmakers, said Jonathan Oppenheimer, government relations director with the Idaho Conservation League. The league and a contingent of other opposition groups held a press conference last week denouncing the efforts to pass what the groups call the 'Chemical Company Immunity' law. They cited research showing elevated levels of pesticides in pregnant women who live close to agricultural fields, and a study that found elevated cancer occurrence correlated to pesticide exposure. 'There are significant concerns with the fact that EPA does not conduct its own safety studies on these products before they are approved,' said Oppenheimer. 'They rely on these industry research studies. And as you look at the history of pesticide approval, there have been numerous instances where manufacturers knew that their products caused certain harms but sought to limit the public disclosure of those studies. As a result, many dangerous products have been on the market for years. Often it takes decades for the EPA to withdraw approval for these products.' The pesticide industry maintains that thousands of studies prove the safety of their products and the EPA provides rigorous oversight to ensure the products are safe when used as labeled. Along with the state legislative actions, the EPA last month opened a public comment period on a petition filed by the attorneys general of Nebraska, Iowa, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and South Dakota seeking an amendment to federal law that would make it harder for people to sue pesticide makers. The proposed modifications would bar any state labeling requirements that were 'inconsistent' with the EPA's conclusions regarding the safety of a pesticide. 'Statements or conclusions regarding the product's human health effects, including the likelihood of causing cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm, that are different from EPA's findings and conclusions' would be considered 'misbranding', the proposed amendment states. Like the proposed state laws, the language would essentially bar legal claims against pesticide makers that accuse them of failing to warn consumers of certain health risks if the EPA has not required those risks to be spelled out on a product label. The EPA is accepting comments until 20 February. Back in Iowa, the bill is expected to pass the state senate but is projected to face an uphill battle in the house chamber. Despite a 'flood' of online and newspaper advertising by proponents of the Iowa bill, opposition is strong, said Andrew Mertens, executive director of the Iowa Association for Justice, which opposes the bill. 'Polling in Iowa would indicate that the general public is simply not going to fall for Bayer's message,' Mertens said. 'But legislators can be swayed in ways that voters cannot, so the fight is far from over.' This story is co-published with the New Lede, a journalism project of the Environmental Working Group
