Agri-Pulse Open Mic Interview

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Congressman Rodney Davis. The fourth term Republican reports tariffs and renewable fuel are the top two concerns among his constituents in the thirteenth district. Davis supports President Trump’s efforts to open markets and level the playing field for U.S. farmers and ranchers, but hopes for a quick conclusion in the trade war. Davis is outspoken in his call to bring the USMCA trade agreement to the House floor and says his proposed legislation on implementing the Renewable Fuels Standard and granting small refinery exemptions will work hand in hand with recent objectives announced by the White House.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Kevin Ross, president of the National Corn Growers Association. In a season of challenges from weather, global market access, and low prices, Ross says there is a certain anxiety being felt by corn farmers nationwide. Ross says NCGA is encouraged by the Trump administration’s commitment to a new set of rules to administer the Renewable Fuels Standard that guarantees minimum blending targets will be met. Ross says corn growers desperately want to see USMCA approved, a Japanese trade deal signed and an end to the trade war with China.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Nathan Kauffman, vice president and Omaha branch executive with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. While the farm economy continues to struggle in a multi-year downturn, the overall balance sheet remains strong. Land values remain high and interest rates are low, which has allowed farmers options to restructure debt. Kauffman says Market Facilitation Program payments helped farm balance sheets last year, but are only a short term fix to an enduringly challenged financial outlook.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee Mike Conaway. The Texas 11th District Representative says the nation’s farmers and ranchers are enduring a long run of tight financial conditions. He says the 2018 farm bill offers the best policy Washington could afford to help producers weather difficult times and fully supports the Trump Administration’s use of CCC funds to provide financial support for farmers due to lost market access. Conaway says congress needs to approve USMCA and says it is the gold standard for future trade agreements.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is the President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. While dairy policy improvements in the 2018 farm bill have helped the financial plight of many milk producers, Vilsack says it’s the global trade front that presents the best opportunity for improvement to the bottom line. Vilsack hopes for a positive conclusion to a trade deal with Japan and says the Chinese market holds tremendous opportunity for U.S. dairy. Vilsack highlights global paradigms that could lead to greater demand for U.S. dairy products from both health conscious consumers and for feed for growing livestock herds.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Missouri 5th district Representative Emanuel Cleaver. As a former Mayor of Kansas City and now serving his 7th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Cleaver is well versed in the rural and agriculture needs in his district. As a Democratic leader, Cleaver supports the need for the USMCA trade agreement but agrees with Speaker Pelosi that labor assurances must be met. Cleaver agrees a tough stance on China’s trade practices was long overdue, but has differences with the White House tariff approach. Cleaver shares thoughts on renewable fuels and calls for a collective approach in addressing rural broadband needs in the country.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Glen Smith, Board Chair and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration. The watchful eye of the Farm Credit Administration closely monitors the balance sheet of the Farm Credit System and its service to the nation’s farms and ranches. Iowa farmer turned FCA CEO, Smith says stable land values have provided equity farmers needed to restructure debt and maintain working capital. Smith says some of the states with the most financial concern lie in their service area of the Midwest. Farmers were able to maintain income despite lower prices last year because of larger crop production, but says that may not be the case this year. Smith says natural disasters have been extremely challenging for some operations with losses far exceeding areas covered by crop insurance and other risk management tools.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Illinois 17th District Representative Cheri Bustos. With strong family ties to agriculture, the Illinois Democrat serves as a member of both the House Agriculture and Appropriations Committees. In this interview, Bustos shares concerns about the trade war with China and its “generational effects” on farmers in her district and across the country. Bustos says the Trump EPA’s administration of the RFS is deplorable and an “abomination of how it was set up”. Bustos recently offered her “Rural Green Partnership” to the House Special Committee on the Climate Crisis. The plan includes agriculture as a valuable tool in the battle against climate change.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Representative Collin Peterson, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture. The Minnesota Democrat believes agriculture is headed for some “serious tough sledding” and is concerned about whether the 2018 farm safety net will be adequate to protect the industry. He worries that market facilitation payments may undermine future needs for additional price supports. Peterson wants answers from the Environmental Protection Agency about the small refinery waivers that are negatively impacting the ethanol industry and farmers and expresses skepticism about farm support for legislation to address climate change.

This weeks’ guest on Open Mic is Bill Even, CEO of the National Pork Board. As a fifth-generation farmer and former South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture, Even is well-versed in the obstacles and opportunities of the nation’s top industry. Despite a setback from a nationwide pig virus a few years ago, Even says hog farmers and the swine industry have ramped up production and capacity to supply the growing demand for pork. Even says African Swine Fever could be the biggest global event of this generation and outlines the challenges of protecting the domestic herd while trying to gain global market access stymied by trade tensions.