Agri-Pulse Open Mic Interview

This week's Open Mic guest is Mike Joyner, President of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association. At a time when more Americans are turning more health conscious by adding fruits and vegetables to their diets, many of the nation's specialty crop growers are struggling to survive. Joyner says the volume of imports from Mexico and other countries continues to grow, depressing opportunities for do...

This week's Open Mic guest is Donnell Rehagen, CEO of Clean Fuels Alliance America. Members of the groups spent last week in Washington reporting the positive impact the EPA's higher RVO numbers are already having in their industry. Later in the week, USDA finalized the Regenerative Feedstocks rule and provided an updated version of the USDA Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator. Rehagen says the...

This week's Open Mic guest is Krysta Harden, President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Sales of dairy products in North America and around the globe have seen exponential increases over the past few decades. Harden discusses renewal of the USMCA trade agreement, proposed language in a new farm bill that would improve the outlook for dairy farmers and the International Year of the Women F...

This week's Open Mic guest is Dr. Paul Bloom, CEO of Gevo Inc. The company is bringing innovation to the renewable fuel sector. Bloom says the company's primary focus is commercializing and scaling a proven alcohol to jet pathway to make aviation fuel. Gevo is engaged in technology, process, and intellectual property development targeted to large-scale deployment of renewable hydrocarbon fuels and...

This week's Open Mic guest is Dr. Scott Hutchins, Undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hutchins says the USDA's Proving Grounds for Network for AgTech will help farmers adopt technologies to improve production and boost efficiency.  Hutchins says the USDA restructuring will streamline operations, strengthen leadership accountability and positi...

This week's Open Mic guest is Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Demand for electricity is growing across the nation because of data centers and other demands at the same time that coal fired power plants are being taken off-line. Matheson says the base load of electricity is running close to capacity in many areas of the country and vulnerable to failure in...

This week's Open Mic guest is Oregon's 2nd District Congressman Cliff Bentz, who says a dry spring has impacted the diverse list of crops grown in his state as well as challenged ranchers with forage supplies. He supports the USMCA trade accord and hopes the review of the North American trade agreement will keep borders open and provide opportunities for fair trade. Bentz supports additional finan...

This week's Open Mic guest is Adam Putnam, CEO of Ducks Unlimited. Count members and leaders of Ducks Unlimited among those lobbying Congress to approve new farm programs. Putnam, the former Florida legislator, says the farm bill is the single largest conservation program in the nation. He describes how DU members actively work with farmers and ranchers improving wildlife habitat by conserving wat...

This week's Open Mic guest is U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. The Mississippi Republican was pleased to see a new farm bill proposal approved by the House and is eager to discuss policy options with other ag leaders on the Senate Ag Committee. Hyde-Smith says farmers in the Delta states have seen their own set of challenges this year and makes the case for additional financial assistance. She discu...

This week's Open Mic guest is Sam Kieffer, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers. Wheat growers are pleased to see the House version of the Farm Bill approved, including several provisions important to their industry. Kieffer says high input costs and uncertain markets are pressuring growers and without additional financial assistance from Congress, more producers will be forced out of...

This week's Open Mic guest is Bryan Humphreys, CEO of the National Pork Producers Council. Commodity groups are hopeful the House will soon approve a new farm bill. While most hope to see attention to the remaining titles of farm programs, the nation's pork producers want to see a legislative solution to California's Proposition 12 animal welfare law that's attached to the House Ag Committee's far...

This week's Open Mic guest is Dr. Peter Beetham, Co-Founder and President of Cibus. Agriculture technology has made major advances since the introduction of genetic engineering in the 1990's. Beetham says Cibus works to develop traits for seed companies through genetic engineering. Beetham explains how decisions by the European Parliament and the U.S. The Supreme Court can help outline the future...

This week's Open Mic guest is Richard Fordyce, USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation. Fordyce says USDA staff is working to implement farm program updates provided under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, disburse funds under the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program as well as disaster assistance to farmers who have suffered loss to natural disasters and wildfires. He discusses USDA re...

This week's Open Mic guest is John Bode, President and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association. The annual "Feeding the Economy Report" was recently released, indicating the food and agriculture sector contributes over $10 trillion to the nation's economy and provides over 49 million jobs. Bode discusses the opportunities and challenges presented by the recent Dietary Guidelines and by the MAHA Commi...

This week's Open Mic guest is Viren Popli, President and CEO of Mahindra North America. The world's largest tractor manufacturer by volume has been growing its customer base between farmers, ranchers and landowners for over two decades. While the machines are assembled in the United States, Popli says the company has been forced to embrace import tariffs from the Trump administration. He sees hope...

This week's Open Mic guest is Steve Censky, CEO of the American Soybean Association. Soybean growers face a number of headwinds approaching a new crop year. High input costs and low commodity prices are squeezing producer profit potential. Censky says uncertain export opportunities, questions over government incentives for renewable fuel, and an outdated farm bill only add to grower uncertainty.  ...

This week's Open Mic guest is National Farmers Union President Rob Larew. The group wrapped up their 124th annual convention last week in New Orleans and he says the challenges facing family farmers and ranchers continue to grow more complex. Delegates approved special orders of business targeting family farmers and the future of food and agriculture policy. Larew says additional farm assistance f...

This week's Open Mic guest is Deanna Kovar, President, Agriculture and Turf Division of John Deere. On the sidelines of this year's Commodity Classic, Kovar shared the company's efforts to assist farmers with precision agriculture solutions for their sustainability and productivity goals. She says the company supports regenerative agriculture and renewable fuels, utilizing both ethanol and biodies...

This week's Open Mic guest is Christy Seyfert, CEO and President of the Farm Credit Council. In this interview, Seyfert explains how a diversity of revenue streams is helping some farmers weather the challenging economic climate of high input costs and low commodity prices, along with enhanced crop insurance tools. Looking ahead, Seyfert discusses why a new farm bill, including updated levels for...

This week's Open Mic guest is Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Following the group's Winter Policy Conference, McKinney says state ag leaders are hoping Congress can make progress on a new farm bill. The group's policy priorities include pesticide regulations, labor policy reform, regional food procurement as well as livestock disease preparedness...

This week's Open Mic guest is Florian Schattenmann, Chief Technology Officer for Cargill. A younger generation of consumers is making greater demands on the food production system from the fields to the products offered on grocery store shelves.  Schattenmann says artificial intelligence is helping their scientists more efficiently analyze data around food production, protein demands and bring the...

This week's Open Mic guest is Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association. Specialty crop growers face economic headwinds of rising input costs, a lack of available labor, and a loss of revenue. Burns and members of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance are appealing to Congress to find additional financial support for growers across all 50 states. She explains why IFPA support...

This week's Open Mic guest is USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden who explains significant strides toward the reorganization of the Agriculture Department. Vaden shares the challenges of occupancy and maintenance at current buildings, including the Beltsville research facility. He also reviews how bridge assistance funds will be distributed to farmers, outlines upgrades to USDA technology, and say...

This week's Open Mic guest is Florida Congresswoman Kat Cammack. The 3rd district representative says the proposed $1-billion dollars of Bridge Assistance for specialty crop and sugar farmers is significantly deficient to meet losses suffered by those producers. Cammack says a review of USMCA this summer should include better protection for fruit and vegetable producers in her state. She also addr...

This week's Open Mic guest is House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig. Before the release of the Farm and Family Freedom Act framework last week, the Minnesota Democrat spoke with Agri-Pulse on the sidelines of the American Farm Bureau Federation  convention. Craig expressed dismay with ICE raids in Minnesota and discussed the impacts on farm labor. Craig says her members are willin...