Specific Policy Issues

1. Concepts Related to Agricultural Policy
   
   
   1. Is the impact of public opinion affecting agricultural policy?
      
      
   2. Does the legislative process (Farm Bill) have a significant affect on agriculture?
      
      
   3. Should wetlands be drained and used for agricultural purposes?
      
      
   4. Should federal lands be leased for grazing or raising of crops?


2. Regulatory Process
   
   
   1. Are product testing timelines long enough to ensure consistency of a product?
      
      
   2. Are product development and testing costs the same for all products?
      
      
   3. Is the EPA process to register a new product sufficient for all products?
      
      
   4. Should products that are not registered or banned in the United States be sold overseas and their products exported back into the United States?
      
      
   5. Should products currently registered by the Environmental Protection Agency have to be re-registered?
      
      
   6. Should the government be more supportive on the handling of the registration for minor use of crop pesticides?
      
      
   7. Are governmental agencies overregulating pesticide and other crop/livestock inputs?
      
      
   8. Is zero risk realistic and/or acceptable in today's society?
      
      
   9. Is the Delaney Clause still an accurate approach or model in which to assess today's risk?
      
      
   10. Do inert ingredients have any affect on human health or the environment?
       
       
   11. How does the regulatory process for pesticides compare to that of other industries (i.e., pharmaceutical, etc.)?
       
       
3. Global Marketplace
   
   
   1. Is the flow of agricultural trade from the United States changing in a positive direction?
      
      
   2. Does the United States have a stake in the GATT negotiations?
      
      
   3. Do government assistance programs significantly affect what is being produced?


4. Rural/Urban Development
   
   
   1. Is the family farm giving way to large corporate owned farming enterprises?
      
      
   2. Is urban development significantly affecting the agricultural use of land?
      
      
   3. Are once productive agricultural lands now being used for landfills and waste management systems?
      
      
   4. Should U.S. government social programs be addressing the needs of rural populations?
      
      
   5. Do policies of different states and countries regarding rural and urban development differ significantly?
      
      
   6. Should local residents be notified when fertilizers and pesticides are beg applied to fields?
      
      
   7. Should local municipalities be able to regulate the application of fertilizers and pesticides?