Agri-Pulse Open Mic Interview

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Tina May, Senior Director of Sustainability at Land O’Lakes. Sustainability has become a priority for Land O’ Lakes Cooperative and is also being embraced by more consumers. In this interview May outlines the cooperative’s efforts to meet growing consumer demand for sustainable farming practices while helping farmers incorporate new innovation, technology and indus...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The 900 member cooperatives of the NRECA have a keen eye on potential infrastructure legislation that may come before the 116th Congress. After serving seven terms in the House of Representatives, Matheson hopes a good portion of those funds will be directed to rural zip codes and pointed tow...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. Following an open forum with farmers in Georgetown, Kentucky last week, Administrator Wheeler discussed the growing issue of food waste, an update on allowing E-15 sales all year, small refinery waivers to the Renewable Fuel Standard, the next steps in approving new Waters of the U.S. regulations, glyphosate safety and thoughts on...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is David Hollinrake, president of Syngenta Seeds, LLC, and North American Regional Director. In this interview Hollinrake discusses the consolidation trend of both farmers and global agriculture and the technological advances which will enable farmers to sustainably produce more crops with fewer inputs. A number of studies suggest an even smaller universe of farmers w...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is California 16th District Representative Jim Costa. As Chair of the House Ag Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, Costa is in the thick of key debates before the 116th Congress on labor, trade, livestock and nutrition assistance and plans an upcoming hearing on dairy policy. Costa is convinced the earth’s climate is changing but doesn’t bel...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, Ted McKinney. With hundreds of thousands of travel miles already logged, the former director of Indiana agriculture knows there are thousands more to go to find successful conclusions to trade agreements for U.S. farmers and ranchers. McKinney is patiently optimistic for a successful co...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Todd Van Hoose, President and CEO of the Farm Credit Council. Despite the USDA’s recent forecast of improved farm income for 2019, Van Hoose says many crop and livestock farmers are having a difficult time projecting a profit for the season ahead. Van Hoose says the key to profitability lies in the outcome of trade negotiations by the Trump administration. Van Hoos...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Jennifer Houston, President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Similar to other commodity organizations, Houston says cattlemen have a lot at stake in global trade negotiations including Japan, China and other Asian countries. At home, the Tennessee native says there’s much work to build relationships with new members of the 116th Congress and connecting...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Erin Fitzgerald, CEO of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. In her short tenure at the head of this group, Fitzgerald notes a tremendous disparity between what’s being said about food production and its real environmental impact. Fitzgerald responds to some familiar attacks on food production and redirects attention to areas where all consumers can play a rol...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Canadian Minister of Agriculture Lawrence MacAulay. Agri-Pulse’s Spencer Chase spoke with the distinguished agriculture leader at the Canadian Embassy in Washington. In this interview, MacAulay shares optimism that his country’s farmers can expand income by satisfying increased global demand for food. MacAulay says Canada wants free and fair trade with no tariffs and...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Andy LaVigne, President and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association. In this week’s interview LaVigne discusses the two biggest issues facing his industry: trade and acceptance of new technology. LaVigne applauds the Trump administration for taking on longstanding obstacles to fair trade and a new information partnership with the Biotechnology Innovation Organiz...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is U.S. Congressman James Comer. As one of only a few active farmers serving in the 116th Congress, the Kentucky 1st District Representative is committed to educating members of the new House leadership about the impacts pending legislation could have on family farmers. In this interview, Comer addresses the Green New Deal proposal, speaks to border security and immig...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Gary Adams, President and CEO of the National Cotton Council. The 2018 rewrite of the nation’s farm bill provides a better safety net for fiber crop producers, but Adams says the cotton industry needs less retaliation and more market access to global trade partners. In this interview Adams identifies key market opportunities, highlights policy initiatives for the 1...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is US. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. Speaking on the sidelines of the American Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans earlier this month, the former state agriculture commissioner spoke in support of the new farm bill and the Trump trade initiatives. Hyde-Smith believes the pain of the current trade war will return better export opportunities for U.S. farmers and ranchers...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kansas. The Appropriations Committee member warned last year that approving continuing resolutions to fund the government would only make addressing the nation’s fiscal needs more difficult. In this interview, Senator Moran discusses the implications of the government shutdown, the consequences of failed trade negotiations, and the need...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Massachusetts 2nd District Representative Jim McGovern. As Chair of the Rules Committee, McGovern has vowed to use legal action to prevent the Trump administration from implementing regulations to limit food aid to hungry Americans. In this interview, McGovern expands on his goal to restore integrity to the rules committee vowing not to “rig the process” by denying...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is American Soybean Association CEO Ryan Findlay. Soybean farmers remain caught in a global trade war between the Trump administration and China. Despite a new farm bill and Market Facilitation Payments, Findlay says soybean farmers face a challenging outlook this year as well as the threat of future lost market share to global competitors in the years ahead. In this...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee Congressman Collin Peterson. Representing the Minnesota’s 7th district, Peterson says reformed dairy policy is one of the most significant changes in the new language. In this interview, Peterson discusses changes in conservation programs as well as the debate over payment limits. As incoming Chairman of the Hou...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts. The 2018 Farm Bill was signed into law by President Trump last week in the White House. Kansas U.S. Senator Pat Roberts and leaders of the conference committee crafted a bill that received overwhelming support on both sides of the Capitol. Senator Roberts says the evolutionary bill was diversified and the best language that...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Geoff Cooper, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. Since assuming the lead of the group in October, Cooper says the producer group is focused on increasing demand by breaking down legislative and regulatory barriers preventing real growth in the industry. Cooper comments on the financial hardship caused by the Trump EPA’s small refinery waivers to...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Roger Johnson, President of the National Farmers Union. As Washington appears closer to approving new farm policy, Johnson fears the policy won’t be enough to protect farmers in the current market environment. He offers a strong opinion on the Trump administration’s trade policy with China and offers guarded support for the newly signed USMCA. For 2019, Johnson see...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. In this interview, the Georgia farmer talks about catastrophic disaster in the country and the need for standard policy to address the lasting impact of natural disasters. Duvall hopes for a new farm bill before the end of the year and quick resolution to trade issues that have wreaked havoc on commodity price...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Carrie Calvert, Managing Director of Government Relations for Feeding America. Despite the country’s surplus of food production, more than 12 percent of the nation’s population is food insecure. In this interview, Calvert weighs in on the nation’s nutrition assistance debate, the need for a farm bill, and Feeding America’s effort to deal with food waste. Calvert re...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Rod Hebrink, President and CEO of Compeer Financial. The lack of certainty from a new farm bill and weak commodity prices due to lost export markets and robust supplies have left farmers and lenders with a grim outlook for 2019. In this interview, Hebrink discusses the challenge of the unknown and the need for legislators and the White House to take action on farm...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Ted McKinney. While the Trump administration’s trade tactics have drawn both the praise and ire of commodity groups, McKinney’s attention to opening new markets and diversifying agriculture’s portfolio has been welcome news. In this interview the Hoosier native reports on his trade missions to Southern Africa and Central America...