ResponsbileAg Marks 2,700 Member Milestone
Three years ago, the Agricultural Retailers Association and The Fertilizer Institute formed ResponsibleAg, an independent auditing organization with the mission of assisting ag retailers in complying with federal environmental, health, safety and security rules regarding the safe handling and storage of fertilizer products. To date, the program has 2,700 registered facilities; 1,880 have completed their ResponsibleAg audit, and 876 are certified.
Federal Regulators Visit ResponsibleAg Facility
On Oct. 16 and Oct. 17, 2017, the Agricultural Retailers Association and The Fertilizer Institute hosted more than a dozen federal regulators and congressional staff at the Ford B. West Center for Responsible Agriculture in Owensboro, Ky.
High-level personnel from the Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency; Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Occupational Safety and Health Administration; U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB); and offices of Reps. James Comer, R-Ky., and Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., participated in the tour. Vanessa Allen Sutherland, CSB chairperson, and Amy Graydon, DHS infrastructure security compliance division acting director, were among the attendees.
The event included an in-depth outline of the ResponsibleAg program and a tour of the Ford B. West facility. Participants learned about the progress made thus far to register more than 2,600 retail facilities with ResponsibleAg and the extensive training required for ResponsibleAg auditors. The tour highlighted the typical components of similar facilities across the country.
