Farm Bureau does its job on wind energy

In my 27 years of being a Farm Bureau member, I know firsthand the amount of research and finding of fact that goes into public policy positions made by Farm Bureau. The Ogle County Farm Bureau has consulted legal counsel in developing its position on wind energy rules.

Unfortunately, it is not apparent that Ogle County Board member Bill Welty holds himself to the same standard in his zeal to prohibit wind energy development, and he has no problem in throwing farmers under the regulatory bus.

Mr. Welty was quoted [“Group says rules could harm their Ogle farms,” Telegraph, Feb. 3] as saying that Farm Bureau’s objection to newly proposed noise standards is “probably not legally applicable” and that “state noise regulations exempt farm equipment.”

This is incorrect. Farm equipment is not exempt during night operations, and grain dryers operated off the farm are not considered agricultural field machinery. See Title 35 Administrative Code, Subtitle H, Chapter 1, Sec 901.107(c).

This goes to the heart of why the Ogle County Farm Bureau has objected to many of the proposals that have been championed by Mr. Welty.

Unintended consequences may be a foreign concept to him, but it is Farm Bureau’s job to evaluate how public law affects farmers and landowners, and to protect their interests.