America


FERTILE DANGER Farmers say if they are regulated on ammonium nitrate (inset), they


might be forced to use less eff ective, costlier alternatives.


Terrorizing Farmers B BY DOMINIQUE FONG


Homeland Security rules on explosives would make farming tougher than ever. The associations that represent


rent sutton, a florida businessman, sells fertil- izer to citrus farmers who scatter the little pearl-sized


prills each January around citrus tree groves. The ammonium nitrate they use is cheap, spreads well, and ulti- mately leads to juicy oranges. There’s only one problem. Using


that fertilizer could put Sutton and his customers on the Department of Homeland Security’s radar. The Department of Homeland


Security is considering tracking the purchase, sale, and delivery of the common fertilizer because in the wrong hands, the chemical that pro- duces a bountiful harvest can be made into a devastating explosive. The law’s scope includes college


research labs, mining companies, fer- tilizer producers — and small farmers.


16 NEWSMAX | MAY 2013


farmers worry the anti-terror mea- sures could push hard-pressed farm- ers one step closer to going out of busi- ness. “We’re concerned about cost,” said Blake Hurst, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation. “Any increased cost can’t be absorbed by the farmer. We’re worried about paperwork and time.” Under the proposed rules, DHS


would closely watch anyone who han- dles ammonium nitrate in quantities of 25 pounds or more. Any would- be buyer or seller would have to fi rst register with the government, which would conduct a background check. Distributors would have to main-


tain records of all sales and purchases, report any thefts or losses, and pre- serve records of all sales and transfers for two years. They would also be sub- ject to federal inspections and audits.


The rules would apply to anyone


handling products with a 30 percent or higher concentration of solid ammo- nium nitrate. That could aff ect a stag- gering 106,000 farms and businesses. The cost to the public of the new rules is estimated at about $96 million on average per year, according to a pre- liminary estimate by the Department of Homeland Security. “It’s very important to us,” says


Allen Rowland, owner of Rowland Farms on 2,500 acres in Missouri. “We use nitrogen, or ammonium nitrate, in diff erent forms on the corn, wheat, and rice crops.” Farmers worry more regulation


could drive up their costs of doing business. Because the chemical passes through many hands before it ever reaches a farm — manufacturers, retail wholesalers — the cost would be passed down the chain to the farmers.


FARMER/AP IMAGES / FERTILIZER/©XINHUA/ZUMAPRESS.COM


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