The Responsible Ag program (RA) is a voluntary stewardship and compliance program designed to help ag retailers ensure they are in compliance with all federal regulations pertaining to the storage and handling of agrichemicals and fertilizers.  When you sign up for the program, you pay a $150 fee to register.  If you have anhydrous ammonia or ammonium nitrate at your location, within 3 years you will receive a notification from RA about scheduling a compliance assessment for your facility.  Today, there at 30 qualified RA inspectors available to perform an assessment for facilities located in Illinois.  RA will put you in touch with them and you can select the auditor of your choice and negotiate the visit and fee for your compliance assessment.  Or, you can have one of your own employees become a certified RA auditor by attending the auditor training course in Owensboro, KY.  The next round of auditor training will be offered on September 13-16, 2016 at the Ford West Responsible Ag Training Center in Owensboro, KY.  To learn more about this opportunity, click here.  Facilities that join RA enjoy other benefits as well, including free access to the Process Safety Management and RMP Program Level 3 compliance tools provided by the Asmark Institute.  Your PSM or RMP information will be automatically saved by the program and enable you to update your facility information easily as changes occur at your facility.  

 

There are 158 IFCA members who have joined RA from in the retail, distribution and manufacturing sector.  To see the list of the companies participating from Illinois, click here.  Nationwide, there are approximately 2,000 facilities that have registered for the program.  To learn more about RA, go to www.responsibleag.org or contact IFCA.