Agri-Pulse Open Mic Interview

This week’s Open Mic guest is Tom Buis, CEO of the American Carbon Alliance. Buis has a long history of service to the agriculture industry. He’s been a farmer, worked in Congress, served a farm organization and the renewable fuel industry. He’s emerged from retirement to promote the renewable fuel industry’s need to lower its carbon score with pipelines.  Buis says the nation needs multiple sources of energy and should allow ethanol producers to capture carbon and safely store it in qualified geological areas of the nation. Buis sees tremendous opportunity for farmers and rural America if ethanol can be a feedstock for Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Without an improved carbon credit score, Buis says farmers, the environment and the economy will suffer.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board. Metz says producers have met and exceeded retail demand for “cage-free” eggs but are anxious to learn what demand issues may be revealed for future production. Metz says the egg industry is closely watching discussion from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee as they prepare to offer recommendations next year and FDA efforts to define healthy foods and set parameters on front of package labeling.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla. On the sidelines of last week’s American Farm Bureau convention in Salt Lake City, Lucas lamented the political headwinds of writing new farm and food policy. Lucas said the nation’s spending plan is most challenging and provides inadequate resources for the hungry and producers facing a challenging economic climate. Lucas says more funds are needed and believes reallocating previously approved dollars is the best financial solution. Without those resources, Lucas would favor another extension of the 2018 farm bill to give more time for Congress to allocate resources. Lucas is keen on a pending SCOTUS decision on regulatory deference and wants an “all of the above” approach to the nation’s energy policy.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. While legislators have agreed on a new short-term spending plan to avoid a shutdown, final work on the nation’s purse strings for FY24 remains in the balance. Hoeven believes there’s still time to approve a new farm bill this year, but says there needs to be more “farm in the farm bill,” saying the farm safety net should share in spending increases being proposed for nutrition. Hoeven believes conservation funds approved in the Inflation Reduction Act should be used to upgrade the farm safety net and is cautious of using CCC funds to support reference prices.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. The Iowa caucuses once again provide the opportunity to press the merits of the renewable fuels industry on those hopeful to gain the White House in November. Cooper believes his industry isn’t seeing a balanced regulatory approach from the Biden administration. On the regulatory front, RFA is watching for amendments to modeling that will determine Inflation Reduction Act tax credit eligibility and staunchly disagrees with proposed EPA tailpipe emission standards. Cooper says sustainable aviation fuel has the potential to revolutionize the renewable fuels industry, but not without resolving pipeline issues in several states.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council. The potato industry is worth billions to the nation’s economy but is facing strong headwinds from regulatory issues, farm policy and global trade access. The group’s annual Potato Expo is expected to see record attendance this week in Austin, Texas including a presentation by USTR Chief Ag Negotiator Doug McKalip. Quarles says the industry is caught up in debate over the potato’s place in nutritional guidelines for adults and children.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Steve Censky, CEO of the American Soybean Association. ASA was among the chorus of agriculture groups pleased to see an extension of the 2018 farm bill as time ran out to produce a new bill in 2023, and Censky hopes congressional leaders can make progress early in 2024 on new policy. He says soybean growers want higher reference prices and a voluntary update for base acres in a new bill. Censky has worries about the EPA’s implementation of Endangered Species Act regulations on pesticides and is very encouraged about the benefits of renewable fuels for the soybean industry.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. The story of hunger and food insecurity continues to grow in the U.S. and around the world. Feeding America is a national food bank serving millions of hungry Americans. The number of food-insecure adults and children swelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but recent data from the USDA suggests millions more don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Babineaux-Fontenot supports change in nutrition programs to better assist individuals in enjoying nutrient-dense foods and getting back on their feet.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. The Mississippi Republican stands firm on protecting farmers in her Delta state. She recognizes the financial challenges of writing a new farm bill and believes funding in the Inflation Reduction Act would be better served by bolstering the overall safety net for farmers than existing conservation programs. Hyde-Smith discounts the idea of an Adjusted Gross Income means test for farmers in the crop insurance program andjoins a long list of agriculture groups and other legislators who disagree with the USDA’s administration of ERP funds. Hyde-Smith says livestock farmers need relief from losses caused by predatory animals.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Krysta Harden, president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Dairy farmers and processors are frustrated with a recent trade ruling favoring Canada’s import restrictions on U.S. dairy products. Harden says the industry isn’t finished with the issue and is surveying options in the matter. Harden says the volume and value of dairy exports for 2023 will be short of the record marks set last year. In the upcoming farm bill, Harden says the industry hopes for continued support for the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development funding.