William F. (Billy) Willard, co-owner of Willard Agri-Service in Frederick, Md., has been named to EPA’s first-ever Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee. As a member of the committee, Willard will advise EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson on environmental policy issues impacting farms, ranches and rural communities. Willard is a member of The Fertilizer Institute’s Board of Directors, and was nominated by TFI for service on the committee. He was selected from a group of more than 200 applicants for the 30-member committee.
TFI said Willard Agri-Service has developed innovative systems for monitoring nutrient use efficiency while minimizing runoff, including its HighQ propriety software program, which the company is currently expanding into the Midwest. In 2003, Willard Agri-Service was awarded the Environmental Respect National Award for its environmental stewardship.
“Billy Willard is uniquely qualified to bring an agricultural retailers’ perspective to EPA’s advisory committee,” said TFI President Ford B. West. “With more than 30 years of professional experience, Billy knows about the vital link retailers play in bringing cutting-edge tools of environmental stewardship to the nation’s farmers.”
TFI said the EPA committee will initially focus on how EPA’s policies and regulations on climate change and renewable energy will affect the agriculture community, and on the development of a constructive approach to advancing sustainable agriculture, protecting the environment, and addressing communication between environmental and agricultural interests. “We are pleased that EPA has recognized the fertilizer industry’s active role in environmental stewardship,” said West. “As a supporter of farmers’ use of the right fertilizer product in the right place at the right time and in the right rate, Billy Willard will make an excellent addition to the EPA committee.”