"Under current threat conditions, DHS does not believe that on-farm storage of chemicals used for agricultural purposes poses a significant terrorist threat that justifies farm compliance with the regulation at this time," says Michigan Farm Bureau Commodity and Marketing Department manager Bob Boehm.

However, Boehm stressed that the action is not a regulatory exemption. Rather, DHS is saying "don't worry about compliance for now."

"If security threats increase in the future or there is reason to believe that a particular facility or category of facilities pose a significant threat, DHS will notify those operations about the need to register," he notes.