Even though the start of the 108^th Legislature is quickly approaching, the 107th Legislature is continuing to complete its work on various interim studies. As many of you know, I currently sit on the Agriculture, Natural Resources, and General Affairs Committees. Last Friday, the Ag Committee held its last three interim study hearings at the Capitol. Although interim studies are not always associated with proposed legislation, interim studies can be a signal of legislation to come.

The first was related to LR277, introduced by Senator Carol Blood, to “determine what is needed to develop a plan to protect managed and native Nebraska pollinators from current harmful practices.” The hearing primarily addressed concerns regarding the decline in the domestic honeybee industry, and the various impacts occurring over time with the “wild” bee species here in Nebraska. According to the testifiers, Nebraska’s largest honey producers have left for states like South Dakota where more canola is raised, and fewer pesticides are applied to the primary crops like corn and soybeans. Testifiers said this accounts for most of the drop in the loss of honeybee population.

A significant amount of time was also spent discussing the “possible” linkage to modern farming practices and the loss of bee population, both domestic and wild. Testifiers agreed that there are many causes for the decline in bee population, but they felt that chemical use by crop producers was a big contributor. They especially focused on seed treatments used today and how the chemical treatments remain in the plant; small bits of residue are then potentially picked up by the bees feeding on the plant and brought back to the hive. As a farmer who uses these same seed treatments, I asked the testifiers to provide us with more evidence to support this theory. I also mentioned that farmers have been using ag chemicals since the 1950’s and that fewer chemicals are soil applied today in favor of direct application to the plant as needed. The developments in biotechnology have allowed plants to be more resistant to natural pests and the use of cover crops has made great strides in building soil health and controlling weed population. However, Glyphosate is still the chemical of choice for burn down of cover crops in the spring. I am wary of implementing state regulations that restrict ag chemical use beyond what is federally mandated today.

The second study was LR328, introduced by Senator Ray Aguilar, to “determine whether rules and regulations guiding the inspection and permitting of mobile food units are being applied consistently between jurisdictions.” The number of food trucks statewide has increased significantly over the past several years and is likely to continue to grow. Some are stand-alone units generally run by entrepreneurs who don’t want to invest in a brick-and-mortar restaurant, while others are operated by restaurant owners who want to take their product to other locations without significantly adding to their staffing levels and overhead costs.

Every mobile food unit that operates within Nebraska is subject to state food safety regulations and are inspected by food inspectors assigned to various regions across the state, but there are wide variations across the state among municipalities regarding additional food safety requirements and various regulations regarding where they can park their units such as the minimum street width, how close they are to another restaurant, what direction the unit faces along the street, and where the walk-up window can be located. Additionally, many larger cities charge fees to allow a unit to operate within its jurisdiction and have various methods to collect sales tax. I found the testimony very educational, but also heard no consensus on regulation. Those of us on the committee all agreed that we were reluctant to take away local control from the cities themselves, even though a more standard set of guidelines would be helpful to food unit operators.

The final hearing dealt with occupational regulation review for grain dealers. Grain dealers are regulated by the Public Service Commission; the Commission’s representative outlined enforcement actions taken against grain dealers since the last report and areas of concern they had going forward. We spent much of the time discussing the net worth requirements, fees, and bonding requirements for grain dealers and grain warehouses. One of the concerns that I expressed was that the bonding requirements of grain dealers and warehouses are very low compared to the amount of exposure they could have at any one time. I understand that raising the bonding requirements would raise costs to the dealers and warehouses, but an alternative might be to have state inspectors conduct more frequent inspections to confirm that grain inventory is in place and that the grain is in good condition. Given the high cost of farming and value of grain inventory today, the costs of massive shortages and ultimate failure of a dealer or warehouse would be devastating.

I am grateful to all of the testifiers who participated in the Agriculture Committee’s interim study hearings. It is important for Senators to continue to dialog with the public and experts about the challenges and opportunities in Nebraska today. If you have any questions or comments regarding these issues, please feel free to reach out to me at 402-471-2729, or email me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov. My door is always open!