DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is welcoming the U.S. Labor Department’s decision to withdraw a much-criticized proposed rule designed to protect children who work on farms. Grassley released a statement Thursday evening expressing relief at the Labor Department’s decision to abandon what he called “ridiculous regulations” that could have hurt farm families. In announcing it was dropping its proposed child labor rules Thursday, the Labor Department noted it would not pursue the matter during the duration of the Obama administration. The agency says it will work with groups such as the American Farm Bureau Federation and Future Farmers of America to reduce accidents involving young people. Federal officials earlier had argued new rules were needed because farming is one of the nation’s most dangerous occupations.