The president of Iowa Farm Bureau is encouraged by EPA action to address farmer concerns with Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) systems.
Brent Johnson, who farms in Calhoun County, says more details need to be known.
“We’re still learning (about) what exactly they’re talking about. But the fact that the EPA is leaning into those opportunities for production agriculture, I think there’s some real nice wins in the future.”
He tells Brownfield most on-farm diesel engine issues that come up with mechanics are because of the exhaust system.
“So if we can address some of those issues so that we can make sure that our uptime and the equipment is more consistent (and) more reliable, and at the same time I really don’t think we’re going to move backwards in the environmental aspects at all.”
American Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall recently thanked EPA administrator Lee Zeldin for what he called a common-sense approach to heavy trucks and off-road equipment that use Diesel Exhaust Fluid. He says when vehicles run out of DEF or there is an error in the software, it loses power, causing delays that could be the difference between getting a crop harvested or animals to their destination.
