Patty Judge, the Democratic candidate challenging Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, says it’s time for “serious” attention to water quality concerns. And she says that means agreeing to federal regulations that would restrict farm chemical run-off if nearby water is polluted.”I believe we are at a place where we are going to have to look at standards and accept that,” Judge says. Judge and her family run a cow-calf operation near Albia. She was also elected Iowa’s secretary of agriculture in 1998 and served eight years in that position. Judge says “sensible” regulations are possible to “leave cleaner water for the next generation.”

“We can write standards so that they work for family farmers, but we are going to have to be serious about cleaning up the water,” Judge says. Judge says that does not mean federal limits for EVERY farm that would limit the amount of manure, fertilizer and insecticide that can be applied. But she says it does mean allowing regulations if nearby lakes, rivers and streams have badly elevated levels of run-off.

“I think the days of looking at voluntary compliance are probably very short now and we are at a point where we will have to have some standards and regulations,” Judge says. “Our job as legislators is to make sure those are realistic, are something that farms can comply with and still farm and I believe we can do that.” Judge made her comments today (Friday) during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs tonight on Iowa Public Television.

(Radio Iowa)