News: Young Farmer Loan Forgiveness and EPA Pesticide Restrictions

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Loan Forgiveness For Young Farmers Proposed

The Young Farmer Success Act was introduced into Congress on June 1st, 2015. Under this act, farming as a career would be added to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, an existing program that currently includes professions such as government service, teaching, and nursing. This would serve as an incentive for young people to pursue farming as a career, thus working to ameliorate the current American crisis that not enough people are becoming new farmers. Learn more at youngfarmers.org.

EPA Proposes Pesticide Restrictions to Protect Bees

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to adopt mandatory pesticide label restrictions to protect bees from toxic pesticides. These would prohibit bloom-time foliar application of pesticides acutely toxic to bees when managed bees are known to be present. the EPA will accept comments on the proposed rule until June 29, 2015. In addition, the EPA is seeking comment on a proposal to rely on efforts made by states and tribes to reduce pesticide exposures through development of locally based measures, specifically through managed-pollinator protection plans. Read the full document here.