DC Fly-In Recap: CPDA News & Notes March 6, 2025

Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology

Terry Kippley, CPDA

March 6, 2025

CPDA Washington DC Fly-In Recap

With mild February temperatures, a record number of CPDA members crisscrossed Capitol Hill last week to advocate on behalf of agriculture. There was much to be done as CPDA members visited with more than 30 Congressional offices. On top of that, we kicked off our morning and afternoon sessions with in-depth discussions with both House and Senate Agriculture committee staff.

The CPDA army ready to take on the Hill.

Our docket was focused on two key issues: a new Farm Bill with provisions to help growers comply with the Endangered Species Act and adequate funding for EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs to reduce the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act backlog of regulatory submissions.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson, Terry Kippley, and the Fly-In attendees.

CPDA Board Chairman Terry Abbott, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR), and Terry Kippley, CPDA President & CEO.

Thank you to all the CPDA members who made the trek to Washington to advocate on behalf of our industry. Full gallery of photos.

Brad Swillen, Ethox Chemicals; Hayes Swillen, Ethox Chemicals; Arthur Bass, Chemorse; JR Schroeder, LA Congressman William Timmons (R-SC); Amanda Lupo and Mitchell Tatar, CJB Applied Technologies; Rick Wilson, Ethox Chemicals.

Lara Sowinski, CropLife Magazine; Terry Abbott, Adjuvants Unlimited; Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK); Dru Harness, Adjuvants Unlimited; Terry Kippley, CPDA.

Brad Swillen, Ethox Chemicals; Congressman Ralph Norman (R-SC); Hayes Swillen, Ethox Chemicals.

CPDA-PAC Fundraiser for Congressman Craig

On Wednesday, February 26 Andrew Walmsley, CPDA’s Vice President of Government Relations and I were joined by our colleagues at the Agricultural Retailers Association, CropLife America and The Fertilizer Institute to co-host a Political Action Committee fundraiser for House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN).

Congresswoman Craig represents Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, an agriculturally diverse area in southeast Minnesota. With deliberations underway on a new Farm Bill, it was an opportune time for an in-depth discussion of our shared priorities.

Thank you, Congresswoman Craig!

Terry Kippley, CPDA; Corey Rosenbusch, The Fertilizer Institute; Congresswoman Craig (D-MN); Jeff Blackwood, Croplife America; Hunter Carpenter, Agricultural Retailers Association.

CPDA Meets with EPA during Fly-In

On the last day of the Fly-In, CPDA members traveled to EPA headquarters for a listening session with the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP). OPP director Ed Messina led the EPA group which included members of his senior staff.

The listening session also provided CPDA with an opportunity to walk through some of our ideas for collaboration with OPP to reduce the PRIA backlog while protecting the scientific integrity of the registration process. This discussion was led by Dr. Dave Bolin of Innvictis, Chair of CPDA EPA Working Group committee and Eileen Bernard of Nutrien, Chair of CPDA ESA committee.

We also discussed the use of Drift Reduction Adjuvants as a featured mitigation option to reduce or eliminate Endangered Species Act no-spray buffers. Thanks to Eileen Bernard of Nutrien and Dr. Eric Spandl of Winfield United for their comprehensive overview.

Karen Murphy, Dave Bolin and Nick Dame, Innvictis.

Registration is open for the 2025 Adjuvants, Inerts and Crop Protection Conference. This year’s conference will be held on May 4-7 at the Westin Hotel in Cape Coral, Florida.

During the 2024 AICP we learned that we will see more regulatory change in the next 24 months than we’ve had in the last 40 years. We are now seeing that play out in real time with a flurry of activity locally, nationally, and globally. To understand what that means for your business and our industry, come hear industry experts and farm leaders discuss what to expect.

Headlining the AICP will be Sara Wyant, who will lead our Farm Executive Leadership Panel. Sara is an award-winning agricultural journalist, entrepreneur and founder of Agr-Pulse Communications Inc., a digital media firm she launched in 2004 to focus on farm, food and rural policy issues.

Sara has covered almost every farm and food policy debate since the 1980s. She is the most recognized agricultural journalist on Capitol Hill. Her knowledge and perspective are also relied upon by farm, ranch, and commodity associations across the country. Not surprisingly, Sara was the first journalist to interview newly confirmed Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

Sara Wyant

Founder & Publiser of Agri-Pulse

Sara will kick-off our Tuesday afternoon session by providing her unique perspective on President Trump’s Washington and its effect on agriculture. Following her address, Sara will moderate our Executive Leadership Panel with the following agricultural leaders:

Cathy Burns, President & CEO, International Fresh Produce Association;
Peter Bachmann, President & CEO, USA Rice Federation;
Mike Joyner, President, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association; and
Christy Seyfert, President & CEO, Farm Credit Council

Also on the agenda:

The ever-popular CPDA Adjuvant University where your team members can get the latest in technological advances.
An overview of China’s pesticide strategy and what it means for your business.
The commercial impact of President Trump’s tariffs.
The latest on what the industry can expect from Endangered Species Act pesticide restrictions, moderated by CropLife Magazine’s Lara Sowinski.
A legislative panel moderated by CPDA’s Andrew Walmsley with a focus on Farm Bill and what we’ve learned following President Trump’s first 100 days in office.

Center for Biologincal Diversity Petition

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has sent a Petition to President Trump, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeking the elimination of "extraordinarily toxic pesticides." The petition singles out glyphosate, paraquat, atrazine, 2,4-D, imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, acetamiprid, sulfoxaflor, dinotefuran, acephate, bensulide, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dimethoate, ethoprophos, malathion, naled, phorate, and phosmet for action.

The petition asks for three broad regulatory changes. First, it asks FDA to alter its enforcement policies for pesticide tolerance violations to immediately impound affected foods. Second, it requests that EPA revoke all tolerances for the named pesticides. Finally, the petition asks USDA to make the listed products ineligible for crop insurance.

CPDA Presents at Association of American Pesticide Control Annual Meeting

CPDA presented “Drift Reduction Adjuvants, the Easy Button for ESA Mitigation” at the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO) Annual Meeting on March 2nd. AAPCO is an organization of pesticide regulatory officials from states, U.S. territories, federal agencies and Canadian provinces who administer and enforce pesticide laws and regulations.

CPDA Capitol Connection

Our commitment to advocacy and member support is at the forefront of everything we do at CPDA. CPDA’s Capitol Connection is your go-to for key updates on policy and regulation impacting your business in two minutes. Each week, we will delve into pressing issues that affect our industry, providing insights into both state and federal initiatives.

The latest Capitol Connection can found on our website and LinkedIn page.

Attention CCAs: Earn 1 IPM CEU Credit

Attend the Next CPDA/ARA Adjuvant Advantage Webinar Series

Tuesday, March 11th

Adjuvants & Unmanned Sprayers

Future outlook and why adjuvants are so essential in unmanned precision applications.