PFS Hosts EPA Officials
“It’s great to welcome the EPA to Peterson Farms Seed … I’ve been practicing saying that with a straight face for the past week!”
This is how Carl opened his presentation for official EPA representatives on their recent visit to Peterson Farms Seed. They responded with hearty laughter, and good rapport continued throughout the visit.
Peterson Farms Seed was one stop on the Environmental Tour of North Dakota. Sponsored by the North Dakota Grain Growers Association, this year’s participants included seven EPA officials from Washington, D.C., and many officials from North Dakota agricultural agencies. The group experienced production agriculture firsthand by traveling to farms and ag businesses across the state.
PFS did its part to educate the group with the presentation from Carl, followed by a Q&A session and a warehouse tour. Carl discussed the changes and progress of agriculture during his lifetime, weed resistance, sustainability, and new technologies. He answered a variety of questions regarding regulatory issues and labeling, recommended best practices for communicating technical information to producers and customers, and discussed suggestions and improvements with EPA officials.
Warehouse Tour
Julie answers questions during the tour of PFS
The agricultural community is very environmentally focused. Pressure from outside groups, such as the EPA, has helped emphasize environmental importance, but as farmers and residents of rural areas, we have always been conscious of our environment. We live here; we raise our families here. The Environmental Tour provided an opportunity for us to showcase our constant concern for the environment and its relation to our daily lives. We hope that the EPA officials left with an increased awareness of North Dakota agriculture.
