This week's Open Mic guest is Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman. The Arkansas Republican says updating farm programs under budget reconciliation won't be easy but is a way forward to update risk management tools for farmers. Boozman believes SNAP program funds can be cut without reducing benefits for those in need and discusses President Trump's tariff tactics to bring better trade relationships for farmers and industry.

This week's Open Mic guest is Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis for the American Sugar Alliance. Johansson says sugar growers are facing the same economic headwinds of high input costs and marginal commodity prices. Growers hope for a new farm bill with updates in crop insurance and marketing loan prices reflective of current market conditions. Johansson says growers still satisfy a majority of domestic sugar demand and support sound science regarding dietary guidance coming from Washington.

This week's Open Mic guest is Beth Ford, President and CEO of Land O' Lakes. While the cooperative is known for its dairy products, Ford says two thirds of their member enterprises are in other segments of agriculture. Ford says low bulk commodity returns coupled with inflation's impact on inputs have brought financial stress to many operations and uncertainty over global market access further clouds farmer's financial outlook. She now chairs the Immigration Committee of the Business Roundtable and says agriculture desperately needs an adequate workforce as well as a new farm bill and updated tax policy.

This week's Open Mic guest is Steve Censky, CEO of the American Soybean Association.  Soybean farmers face surmountable challenges from low crop prices, high input costs and an uncertain future demand outlook. Censky hopes the current trade war is short-lived and brings worthy results. Censky says soybean farmers are watching closely the downsizing at USDA and holding out hope Congress can deliver a new farm bill this year. The EPA's pending RVO announcement could be the determining factor between profit and loss in 2025.

This week's Open Mic guest is Congressman Frank Lucas. The Oklahoma 3rd District representative says covid, global military conflicts and trade have heightened concern surrounding the size of the nation's debt. He believes it is right to question government spending with proper oversight and says the upcoming budget reconciliation process will be the "wildest political rodeo" voters have ever seen. Lucas guided the legislature into approving the 2014 farm bill and wants to see a new bill this year.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Adam Bergman, Managing Director at EchoTech Capital. While opinions still widely vary regarding what sustainability really means, Bergman stands in the gap between would be investors and those willing to adopt certain sustainable practices.  In agriculture the topics include regenerative farming,  a vast array of climate smart practices and even indoor farming. Washington has proven that financial support for renewable fuels as well as electricity from solar and wind sources can influence growth. Moving forward, the question remains which energy sources will see favor from Capitol Hill and what agricultural practices investors will support toward a greener environment and stronger food security.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. Conner suggests the nation’s farmer owned cooperatives are well stocked as producers prepare for the 2025 growing season. Conner says many co-ops anticipated tariff issues and took early shipment of supplies for this season. A veteran of Capitol Hill policy debates, he acknowledges plenty of uncertainty surrounding the farm bill, tax policy and tariffs. Despite challenges, Conner believes legislators will take action on taxes and hopefully a new set of farm and nutrition programs.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Bill Hoagland, senior vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center. In a day where Washington faces mounting issues of government outlays and rising national debt, Hoagland say partisanship must give way to solutions that maintain essential federal programs and services. Hoagland provides key insights on budget reconciliation, DOGE, tax reform, a farm bill and the debt ceiling, which are all critical issues facing the 119th Congress.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer AG. The global company is heavily invested in developing innovative technology for farmers around the world. The company’s pursuit of crop genetics, herbicide resistance, chemical crop protection and data management has benefitted farmer goals toward both sustainability and productivity. Anderson tells Agri-Pulse that legal challenges to glyphosate are limiting the company’s investments in innovation and may result in eliminating the sale of a herbicide that many farmers consider essential to sustainable production.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Chris Abbott, CEO of Pivot Bio. The California company was formed 15 years ago with a premise of using soil microbes to utilize naturally occurring nitrogen to sustainably feed plants and replace synthetic fertilizers. After going commercial five years ago, the company continues to grow the number of farmers and acres utilizing their gene edited products. Abbott sees a bright future for growth in the use of soil microbes to increase productivity, reduce nutrient costs and boost producer sustainability.