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Correspondence Management SystemControl Number: AX-14-000-1897Printing Date: November 25, 2013 06:30:37

Citizen Information

Citizen/Originator: Villwock, Donald B

Organization: Indiana Farm Bureau Inc.

Address: 225S

East Street, P.O. Box 1290, Indianapolis,IN

46206Constituent: N/ACommittee: N/A Sub-Committee: N/A

Control Information

Control Number: AX-14-000-1897 Alternate Number: N/AStatus: For Your Information Closed Date: N/ADue Date: N/A o f Extensions: 0Letter Date: Nov 22, 2013 Received Date: Nov 25, 2013Addressee: AD-Administrator Addressee Org: EPAContact Type: EML E-Mail) Priority Code: NormalSignature: SNR-Signature Not Required Signature Date: N/AFile Code: 401_127 _a General Correspondence Files Record copySubject: ORF - Daily Reading File - Thank you to the Administrator for visiting with farmers in Indiana

and touring Kelsay Farms; Follow up to discussion at Kelsay FarmsInstructions:Instruction Note:General Notes:CC:

For Your Information -- No action requiredN/AN/AOAR - Office of Air and Radiation -- Immediate OfficeOEAEE - Office of External Affairs and Environmental EducationOW Office of Water Immediate OfficeR5 - Region 5 -- Immediate Office

Lead Information

Lead Author: N/A

Lead Assignments:

Assigner Office Assignee Assigned Date Due Date Complete Date

Supporting Information

Supporting Author: N/A

Supporting Assignments:

I ssigner IOfficeIJacqueline Leavy IOEX

History

Action By l ttice

IJacqueline Leavy jOEX

No Record Found.

Assignee I ssigned DateISarah Bittleman jNov 25, 2013

Action Date

j Forward control to Sarah Bittleman j Nov 25, 2013

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... ndiana Farm ureau Inc ®O ffice o he PresidentNovember22, 2013

Gina McCarthy, Administrator

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC 20460

Dear Administrator McCarthy:

225 S East Street· P.O. Box 1290 •Indianapolis, IN 46206

Telephone: 317) 692-7750 •FAX: 317) 692-7011

On behalf of the members oflndiana Farm Bureau, I would like to thank you for visiting with farmers in Indiana andtouring Kelsay Farms. t is important for those in public policy positions to better understand what occurs daily on a farmand how decisions made in Washington D.C. have a real impact on our livelihood. We have a successful record o fenvironmental stewardship in Indiana and would be pleased to help find other farms for you to visit if you would like tocome back.

I do want to take this opportunity to follow up on a few issues discussed during your visit as well as in the meeting some ofmy staff had with Sarah Bittleman. I believe the message was clear that we are concerned with the proposed direction of

the agency with respect to the RFS. The biofuels market has been critical to the success o f Hoosier farmers and aneconomic lifeline to rural communities who need this investment and the jobs more than ever. This would not be possiblewithout a strong RFS, which has provided unprecedented opportunity and access to a market and infrastructure systemcontrolled by the corporate giants o f Big Oil". n addition to a new market and income for farmers, the Indiana ethanolindustry provides l. l 3 million gallons of ethanol each year (nearly the equivalent of proposed RFS cuts), 3,575 goodpaying rural jobs, and $520 million of Gross State Product. Your agency's proposed action will significantly undermine theprogress that we have made to date. Moreover, this decision will have negative impacts on the environment and air qualityand make our nation more energy insecure.

One issue I am pleased to share with you is the great work in Indiana on conservation programs. Indiana is a national leaderin cover crops and conservation tillage. This has been achieved because of the high value farmers in Indiana place uponconservation as well as the strong partnerships which exist between state and federal agencies, conservation groups, andfarm organization. I am extremely proud that we have been able to lead an effort to bring dl o f those partners together todevelop a strategy for improving nutrient management and soil health. The cornerstone of that program is education offarmers and the individuals upon whom they rely for information. Our goal is to enhance research, edge-of-fieldmonitoring, water quality sampling, and information sharing among farmers to give them the information they need to keepnutrients in the field and out o f our waters. Region V staff have been valuable assets to my staff as we have worked on thisprogram for the last two years and I know we look forward to continued collaboration with them.

Finally, I want to support your statement that we need honest dialogue and improved relations. Farmers understand thatEPA has a job to do, just as the farmer does. Relations have recently improved but there have still been many instanceswhich have caused concern in recent years and months. n the past year, an environmental justice grant was provided toseveral groups in Indiana to essentially tell people how to lobby their elected officials to oppose CAFOs. After severalmonths of requesting information, we received a document which was almost entirely redacted. At the same time, EPAreleased personal information about our farmers to environmental groups. Recently, inspections by EPA inspectors havestepped up in Indiana. There is definitely fear in the agriculture community that EPA is targeting livestock farms. Sharingof information about the agency's intentions with respect to livestock farms in Indiana could go a long way toward

furthering regular dialogue.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or if you would like to discuss these issues any further.

Sincerely,

J ~ ~ l / £Donald B. Villwock, PresidentIndiana Farm Bureau

Indiana Farm Bureau promotes agriculture through public education

member engagement and by advocating for agricultural and rural needs