This week, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Vice President Rick Ebert hosted a roundtable at his business, Ebert Farms, with Senator Ward, NFIB Pennsylvania Director Kevin Shivers, and other small business owners.  Rick and the other farmers discussed the impact of the myriad of regulations on their farms.

Fred Slesak, a sustainable no-till crop farmer, talked about the difficulties of complying with the constantly new and complex USDA and EPA regulations. After a USDA and EPA compliance manager came to his farm, he was fined for a naturally occurring four inch trench on his property. He didn’t even know that this trench, caused by rainwater, was in non-compliance with a new regulations until after he was fined for it.

Farmers, among other small business owners, are very important to Pennsylvania’s livelihood. Senator Ward noted that Westmoreland county had over 140 farms, and that “we need real reform and sensible regulations for our farmers to stay in business and keep this cherished community in business.”