Agri-Pulse Open Mic Interview

This week’s Open Mic guest is Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. Conner suggests some input challenges may be easing prior to the bulk of the 2022 planting season. He thinks partisan politics on Capitol Hill have Congress stalled legislative action on key ag issues but still believes legislators will come through with a new farm bill next year. Conner says it’s frustrating to see vacancies in key ag negotiating positions at both USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative. While many analysts expect a “flat” budget for the new farm bill, Conner believes agriculture is justified in seeking additional funds for conservation practices.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa. The two-term representative is a 5th generation Iowan with an affinity for agriculture and rural subjects. Axne says supply chain issues are an issue for farmers approaching planting season with some crop decisions based more on supply availability than market fundamentals. She’s calling on the Biden administration to take steps to reduce tariffs on imported fertilizer and increase production and use of domestic energy supplies. Axne supports efforts to address cattle price discovery and says her first priority is her own constituents. She has lobbied the Biden EPA on both renewable fuel use as well as the effort to define the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act on the nation’s land and tributaries.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Alisha Schwertner, Chairwoman of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. The next generation of producers faces the growing pains of assuming or building an operation on thin margins while navigating many other challenges. Schwertner is a wife and mother of three, works in the ag industry and is an integral part of her family farming operation. The Texan believes there are opportunities for young farmers and ranchers to influence others on the positives of today’s agriculture and build a bridge of trust about how and where their food comes from, the work that’s being done to protect and nurture the environment, and efforts to feed the hungry through Harvest for All.

This week’s Open Mic guest is USDA Undersecretary Robert Bonnie. As the agriculture department lead for farm production and conservation, Bonnie will play a significant role in administering any new climate or conservation programs offered by U.S. legislators. Proposed pieces of legislation would offer new funds and opportunities for farmers and ranchers nationwide, but have yet to be approved. Bonnie says the USDA will play a significant role in carbon markets meanwhile working to stimulate research toward carbon smart practices. Bonnie responds to the role of land in the Conservation Reserve Program and shares thoughts on acreage goals for the program.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Tim Lust, CEO of the National Sorghum Producers. The race for acres is on in the U.S., and sorghum has a number of positives for growers to consider. Lust says export demand is promising while food and fuel uses for the crop continue to expand. Lust sees a role for the USDA in carbon markets and says his commodity group has a very strong climate story to bring to the debate. Sorghum growers are anxious to discuss new farm policy and have clear goals for the new policy.

This week’s Open Mic guest is U.S. Senator Jon Tester.  Tester, the farmer and legislator, is concerned about price discovery in the cattle market.  Despite concern raised by two major ag groups, Tester believes any final legislative solution will have to have some mandatory level of animals sold at auction.  The Montana ag leader is concerned about geopolitical events including Russia and China and certain market ramifications if either or both turn to military action. Tester expands thoughts on concern over foreign farm land ownership, right to repair legislation and political influence over the Federal Reserve.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. Following a successful Executive Leadership Conference last week, Skor says some regulatory and judicial decisions have worked against the renewable fuels industry, but she’s encouraged with the role ethanol and all renewable fuels can play in addressing climate change and providing relief from high gasoline prices. State goals for carbon reduction are creating more demand for next generation biofuels and the Biden administration’s targets for the airline industry could offer big dividends for renewables. Skor sees tremendous opportunity for renewable energy in legacy vehicles and the non-electrification market on the land, the sea and in the air.

This week’s Open Mic guest is P.J. Haynie III, chairman of the National Black Growers Council. In this interview, Haynie reflects on the mission and beginnings of a coalition of Black row crop farmers with the intent of sharing information and growth opportunities for Black farmers across America. Haynie, a fifth-generation farmer and descendent of a former slave, defines the decline in black farmers nationally and explains the coalition’s goal of educating, networking and identifying opportunities for black farmers. Haynie supports Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s pledge to see USDA through a “lens of diversity” to better serve the disparity of services to minority farmers nationwide.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Gary Adams, president and CEO of the National Cotton Council. Like other crop farmers, Adams says cotton farmers are burdened with uncertain input supplies and prices for the new crop year. Adams says infrastructure bottlenecks are also proving a challenge of satisfying market shipments to customers in the U.S. and around the globe. He says growers need predictability from Washington on what crop protection products will be available for the coming season and a realistic definition of the jurisdiction of water and land under the Clean Water Act.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the price discovery issue and the disparity between what producers are receiving for their animals and what consumers are paying for beef from the meat case. Consolidation in the meatpacking industry has drawn the most criticism, but analysis by academia and economists on Capitol Hill point to a number of different sources for the imbalance. In this interview, Woodall discusses the challenge before the industry and implications of certain proposals as well as the need for growth in the global trade arena.