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ASA committee member focused on conservation

A farmer recently elected to the American Soybean Association executive committee says conservation is a focus.

Jim Kukowski farms in Roseau County in northern Minnesota and tells Brownfield he wants to ensure programs are voluntary.

“I don’t want to be led from the top, I want farmers to pick and choose as they want. It’s not mandated (and) if we can’t have voluntary I’m the type of person that if the government tells me we have to do this I kind of balk at it. Or if it’s voluntary it’s a lot easier to get people to sign up.”

He says there are other important issues ASA’s executive committee will be focused on in 2024 as well.

“Keep crop insurance (the way it is), improve it if possible. Waters of the U.S., we have to make sure it doesn’t hurt us. Biotech of course, crop protection things like insecticides and stuff like that.”

Kukowski says ASA was pleased with EPA’s recent decision to restore chlorpyrifos.