Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology

Terry Kippley, CPDA

December 10, 2025

Welcome New Member!

CPDA is pleased to welcome new member Custom Agronomics. 

As the business council for agrotechnology, CPDA is pleased to welcome Custom Agronomics as our newest member. Membership support drives CPDA’s advocacy on key issues, including reducing EPA’s PRIA and non-PRIA registration backlogs and advancing science-based Endangered Species Act solutions.

Custom Agronomics is a custom manufacturer and private label partner serving agriculture and turf markets nationwide. They combine formulation expertise with responsive service to help you launch and scale with confidence.

EPA Working Group Meets with EPA Registration Division on Process Improvements

CPDA’s EPA Working Group met with leaders from EPA’s Registration Division to continue our collaborative effort to improve process efficiencies for CPDA member company products. Thank you to the members who joined in person and online. 

Resources remain the biggest challenge with RD operating about 25 percent below full staffing levels. Clear and complete cover letters remain the best opportunity for registrants to help reduce delays, and we will consider drafting a CPDA template for members to use. 

There was encouraging progress on InertFinder. EPA acknowledged ongoing IT challenges and expressed openness to continued engagement with industry on long-term fixes. CPDA will continue driving this effort. 

CPDA also raised the need for clarity on (use CPDA Certified Adjuvants) adjuvant statements under PRN 98-10. EPA encouraged CPDA to submit comments when the public comment period opens and we will begin gathering member input to prepare a response. 



CPDA appreciates the continued dialogue with RD. We will keep pressing for improvements that maintain regulatory rigor while supporting timely access to products growers rely on. 

Members of CPDA’s EPA Working Group: Ray McAllister, CPDA; Alexis Bromley, Nutrien; Nandi Nagaraj, UPL; Melinda McCann, Drexel; Nathan Ehresman, Albaugh; Karen Warkentien, AgroSpheres; Matt Wilfong, Atticus and Terry Kippley, CPDA. 

Meeting with Chairman Mike Simpson: Interior–Environment Appropriations Update

CPDA joined many of our PRIA Coalition partners in co-hosting a CPDA PAC lunch with House Interior–Environment Appropriations Chairman Mike Simpson (R-ID). We focused on the need for robust EPA OPP appropriations that ensure growers have the tools they need while improving commercial outcomes for CPDA members.

Chairman Simpson reiterated his commitment to getting the Interior–Environment bill across the finish line ahead of the January 30 deadline. While he could not share specifics yet, he indicated that Congress has potentially identified additional resources for EPA, which is a positive sign for OPP’s ongoing backlog reduction and overall capacity.



CPDA will continue reinforcing with both chambers that timely, predictable funding for pesticide programs is essential to maintaining growers’ access to safe, reliable crop protection products.

Andrew Walmsley, CPDA and Chairman Mike Simpson, R-ID

2026 ESA Technical Guide to Mitigation Options Released

The 2026 ESA Technical Guide to Mitigation Options is now available. CPDA led the development of this new resource in partnership with CropLife Magazine, CropLife America, and the Agricultural Retailers Association to help the industry navigate ESA mitigation requirements and support continued product access for growers.

The guide provides clear, practical information on mitigation tactics, including the role of certified adjuvants such as drift reduction agents in reducing risk and keeping acres in production. This tool will support retailers, applicators, and product manufacturers as ESA implementation continues to evolve.

CropLife Retail Week Features CPDA

CropLife Retail Week featured an interview with CPDA President and CEO Terry Kippley on the arrival of ESA label language to crop protection products and what ag retailers need to know heading into 2026.

He highlighted CPDA’s work to provide practical resources and training so retailers and applicators understand what compliance looks like in the field. The message remains focused on ensuring ESA protections move forward in a way that is workable for growers and supports product stewardship.

CropLife Magazine Highlights CPDA Adjuvant Certification Program

CropLife Magazine featured CPDA’s Adjuvant Certification Program this week, underscoring the growing importance of proven adjuvant performance across the industry. The article spotlighted the leadership of Helena’s Austin Anderson, Chair of the CPDA Adjuvant Certification Committee, and emphasized the program’s role in establishing credibility, addressing skepticism, and improving consistency in adjuvant performance.

CPDA remains the only organization advancing a self-regulatory standard for adjuvants. Today, more than 220 agents are CPDA-certified and over 480 EPA-registered crop protection products carry certified adjuvant language on their labels. The program’s Truth in Labeling initiative continues to set a strong foundation using ASTM-recognized functionality descriptors that ensure product claims are validated.

CPDA Featured on Ag Day, Attends ARA Annual Meeting

I appreciated the invitation by Daren Coppock to attend the ARA annual meeting. There is nothing like the opportunity to talk face-to-face to strengthen our collaboration.

Thank you to Margy Eckelkamp, with Farm Journal for the opportunity to be interviewed on key topics, including our collaboration with ARA and CLA on a "United for Success" ESA grower campaign and the impact of Chinese tariffs on input costs.

Richard Gupton, ARA; Rodney Schmidt, MACPA; Jeff Blackwood, CropLife america; Daren Coppock, ARA; Bucky Kennedy, SCPA; Terry Kippley, CPDA.

EPA Maintenance Fees

EPA’s announcement of annual product maintenance fee details for FY2026 is expected momentarily. The statutory deadline for registrants to pay these fees is January 15, 2026. We should see the new per-product fee (last year was $4,875); updated payment forms and instructions; and comprehensive lists of your products subject to the fees.

Office of Pesticide Programs

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs has scheduled its next on In-Person / Hybrid - PRIA Coalition Quarterly Meeting on Monday, Jan 26 from 2:00 PM–3:15 PM EST. The calendar invitation will be forwarded to CPDA’s EPA Working Group this week. Any other CPDA members are welcome to participate also.

Upcoming Webinar: Earn 1 IPM CEU Credit

Season 4 of our successful webinar series, in partnership with the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) is back for another 5-part series discussing topics from biologicals and insecticides to tuning up your tank mix.

Wednesday, January 7, 2025, 1:00 pm ET

Tune Up Your Tank-Mix

This webinar discusses how to optimize pesticide performance with adjuvants in difficult environmental factors. 

Certified Crop Advisers attending this webinar will earn one Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program IPM CEU.

CPDA DC Fly-In Registration Open

March 3–5, 2026

Join us in advancing policies that provide growers the tools they need while driving commercial outcomes for CPDA members:

• Advocate for robust appropriations for EPA pesticide programs to ensure adequate funding for continued regulatory backlog reduction.
• Advance PRIA 6 to secure a stable and predictable regulatory framework.
• Engage directly with EPA leadership to accelerate process improvements and expand practical ESA mitigation tools like DRAs.

Stay Informed with CPDA's Weekly Policy Update

Each week, CPDA Vice President of Government Relations Andrew Walmsley breaks down the latest developments in Washington and what they mean for the crop protection and ag technology sectors in Insider Ag Policy,  a concise, no-spin briefing followed by hundreds of policymakers, industry leaders, and association partners.



If you’d like these updates delivered directly to your inbox, click Subscribe on LinkedIn to join more than 750 readers who already follow Insider Ag Policy.

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Until next time….