In a time when so many small and medium-sized ag businesses (not to mention some of the large ones!) are facing an uncertain future at best, it is patently ridiculous for governmental authorities to levy still more unfunded mandates on our heads. To do so is politically expedient at the expense of those least prepared to deal with another layer of expensive government intrusion into business.

In the book, "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism," author Christopher Horner makes the point that it isn't the prosperous, industrialized and technologically advanced nations of the world that need to be prodded into spending money and effort on cleaning up their environment, because rich nations already spend a disproportionately high percentage of GNP on programs and enforcement toward fostering continued improvement of environmental quality... BECAUSE THEY CAN AFFORD TO! It's the poor nations that need help in doing so, because their resources are limited and must be allocated to subsistence agriculture and trade for the survival of their economies and people.

Same thing applies here; without a commitment to adequate funding and support to those sectors of the economy that cannot afford to do so on their own time, or they are doomed to failure. Part of this money should come from enforcement levies against large corporations who consistently cheat and violate the law with respect to environmental compliance, and part should come from market levies paid by large retail chains that consume and resell the vast majority of agricultural products to the public, because their demand fuels the problem.

It's a pity our voices will never be heard on this matter because we're too small, even taken as a group, to make an impact on governmental policy. So it's probably a fait accompli that we will continue to survive and try to grow our business solely at the whim of our larger competitors and our government. And that's a damn shame for America.