ResponsibleAg, a voluntary and industry-led safety and stewardship initiative, reached another major milestone when the 4,000th facility audit was completed at Rutherford Farmers Cooperative in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a Tennessee Farmers Cooperative-affiliated facility.

Launched in 2014 as a joint venture of TFI and ARA, ResponsibleAg provides an audit and certification program to help participating locations ensure they comply with pertinent regulations from OSHA, DOT, EPA, and DHS to keep employees, customers, and communities safe.

Drew Landerman, environmental, health, and safety specialist for Tennessee Farmers Cooperative (TFC) and a ResponsibleAg-credentialed auditor, conducted the 4,000th audit.

“Reaching that milestone illustrates both the success and value of the program and shows there’s longevity in the program,”

Landerman says.

Rutherford Farmers Cooperative’s DeKalb County branch had the honor of being the 1,000th facility nationally to earn ResponsibleAg Certification in 2018.

According to Landerman, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative encouraged its member cooperatives to participate in ResponsibleAg from the start.

“ResponsibleAg’s comprehensive audit checklist is regularly updated to reflect new regulations, so we don’t have to spend time creating our own. Instead, we can focus on educating not only the various managers but also employees at our ag retail sites on safety to help them better understand and meet safety regulations. We’ve found doing this, plus educating them about the ResponsibleAg program, increases employee ownership and pride in their workplace, which leads to fewer injuries, illnesses, and citations.”

The ResponsibleAg audit encompasses up to 17 areas of operation, depending on the type of facility. For facilities in California, ResponsibleAg offers a checklist that includes state regulations. Following an audit, the facility receives a corrective action plan detailing how to resolve any issues identified. Once corrections are made, the facility achieves ResponsibleAg certification, which is good for three years. Recertification ensures personnel stays up to date on safe practices and facilities comply with new or updated rules and regulations.

Since the first ResponsibleAg audits were conducted in 2015, almost 130,000 compliance issues have been identified at participating facilities. While not all were considered major infractions, and some were only paperwork issues, a regulatory agency conducting an audit could cite a facility for any of them,”

says Tim McArdle, longtime board member and retiring chairman of the ResponsibleAg Board of Directors.

Nearly 96,000 issues have been resolved to date, and there’s been a steady decrease year over year in the number of issues identified, showing ag retail facilities are more engaged and aware of proper safety, security and environmental practices.

“While that’s a good track record, our goal is to continue to improve those numbers,”

McArdle adds.

There are 2,500+ facilities currently registered, many completing certifications for the second time since the program began. McArdle says the goal of the program is for all registered facilities to be audited by a ResponsibleAg-credentialed auditor and to resolve all identified audit issues, with the ultimate goal of compliance with all federal regulations.

Resources to Help Participants Reach Compliance

ResponsibleAg offers various resources that make it easier for participating facilities to achieve compliance, including the online Compliance Assistance Library with concise summaries of regulatory standards pertinent to ag retailers, the Compliance Assessment Tool, and EZ Search. McArdle adds that one of his future goals for the program is to explore developing a checklist for emissions and climate standards that the industry might have to abide by in the future.

“If it does happen, ResponsibleAg wants to be prepared to continue to provide guidance and value by helping our members remain compliant with all regulations,”

he says.

McArdle concludes,

“Safety and compliance are at the heart of what ResponsibleAg does. The industry’s continuous commitment and strong participation show regulators that we place high importance on compliance and we are capable of self-regulating.”

The post 4,000th ResponsibleAg Audit Completed at Rutherford Farmers Cooperative in Murfreesboro, Tennessee appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Krisle has announced that he will retire June 4 after a career spanning 38 years, including the last 14 as CEO. He joined the TFC staff in 1983 as a field auditor and has served in various capacities within the cooperative through the years. In 1987, he was named to the Internal Auditing Department staff and in 1988 became manager of the Member Support Department in the information services area. Krisle was named Region 2 operations specialist in 1992 and held that position until being selected to fill the role of a chief operating officer in 1999.

“As CEO, Bart’s steady and thoughtful leadership has been invaluable during a period of unprecedented growth and change for TFC. His work in establishing Consolidated Financial Services and GreenPoint Ag strengthened the organization and positioned the cooperative to make the key strategic alignments that have led to the creation of the Faithway Alliance and GreenPoint Ag joint ventures and the feed JV that is in the formation process. His work with the TFC senior staff and leadership team over the last year has provided the mission, vision, values, and strategic plan that will guide our cooperative for the next few years and provide clear direction as we change the structure of TFC to a business service provider,”

says Thompson.

Huff has played a key role in developing and implementing this strategic plan as well, says Thompson.

“As we begin the cooperative’s 76th year, he becomes only the seventh person to lead TFC as CEO,”

says Thompson.

Huff says:

“His depth of experience and vision for the future are among the many qualities that make him the right person to take the helm of TFC during this critical transition period.”

Huff had served as TFC chief financial officer since 2006 before being appointed CEO.

“It is truly an honor to be chosen as chief executive officer. The Co-op has been part of my life since I was a child, and I have spent my career learning from and working with great people in a system with a noble cause, the farmer. I want to be very clear when I say that our focus has been, and will continue to be, on the member Co-ops. My career has proven many things to me, not the least of which is that we are better when we work together. I see those opportunities in our future! When you reflect on the history of TFC and the member Co-ops, there are so many success stories, and I believe many more lie ahead! Thank you, Bart, for the career you built at TFC, but more specifically, your role as CEO. Many success stories in our cooperative history have been written during your tenure and your impact will be felt for many years to come. One of those impacts will be the strategic plan to partner with other strong, like-minded cooperatives.”

Along with Krisle, he was instrumental in the development of CFS, which is now utilized by more than 90% of member cooperatives and is now TFC’s largest patronage income department. He has more than 33 years of experience with TFC. He joined the cooperative in 1988 as a field auditor then transitioned to the role of the corporate accountant in 1993, where he was responsible for the corporate Accounts Receivable Department. In 1999, he became manager of Field Audit/Regional Accounting where he served until he was selected as a chief financial officer.

Huff is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville. He grew up on a small farm in Fentress County. He and his wife, Laura, have two children, a daughter, Niki, and a son, Tyler.

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