Agri-Pulse Open Mic Interview

This week’s Open Mic guest is Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, the Washington representative says leaders have a responsibility to maintain the financial security of the country. Newhouse says the committee's fiscal year 2024 USDA-FDA spending plan is less than a year ago, but is a fair compromise given the nation’s growing debt. In this interview, Newh...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Ryan LeGrand, president and CEO of the U.S. Grains Council. Larger world supplies, a challenging global economy and the threat of trade restrictions are all weighing on the U.S. Grains Council’s goal of growing markets for American farmers. LeGrand is pleased with the Biden administration’s actions to challenge Mexico’s import ban on genetically modified white corn an...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Chef José Andrés. The world-renowned, chef, author and humanitarian believes the power of food can change the world. Andrés recently announced a partnership with George Washington University to build a Global Food Institute to lead the world in food system delivery. Andrés says providing humanitarian food assistance may alleviate an immediate need for hungry nations o...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Neil Caskey, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association. At the time Congress is preparing to write a new farm bill, corn farmers are facing a period of high input costs and declining crop prices. Questions facing the future of ethanol consumption in the U.S. and challenges on the trade front with Mexico are all issues bearing down on corn farmers nationwide. Caskey...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Kevin Lucke, president of Chevron Renewable Energy Group. Chevron’s 2022 purchase of the Renewable Energy Group represents a significant paradigm shift in the energy industry, but the acquisition is just a portion of the global company’s effort to provide low-carbon fuels for its customers. Lucke sees tremendous potential in renewable biodiesel and is collaborating wi...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Meagan Kaiser, chair of the United Soybean Board. For more than 30 years, the soybean checkoff board has been investing farmer dollars to improve both opportunities and sustainability practices for soybean growers in the U.S. Kaiser says investments decades before in biodiesel and the food industry are now paying big dividends for growers, industry, the environment an...

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Tom Ryan, President of Truterra.  Sustainability has become a new hurdle for farmers, agribusiness, industry and policymakers to address. Ryan says the private industry willing to invest in sustainable agriculture practices are as diverse as the farmers and soil they till to meet the demands placed on their overall productivity.  Truterra, the Sustainability Divisi...

This week’s Open Mic guest is John Bode, president and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association. Corn products are in 80% of the food and nonfood items in grocery stores today. Bode says the global sustainability effort is opening the doors of opportunity for the industry. Corn refiners support a strong farm safety net in the new farm bill as well as an increased investment of public dollars in ag res...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. Many in the dairy industry believe it’s time for the Federal Milk Marketing Order to be updated since much has changed in the industry over the last 23 years. The orders help guarantee an adequate supply of milk and dairy products as well as maintain orderly marketing decisions and there is disa...

This week’s Open Mic guest is U.S. Representative Tracey Mann. The Kansas “Big First” representative believes the 118th Congress can deliver a farm bill this year, but not without significant challenges beginning with the impasse over the nation's debt ceiling, out of sync reference prices and a chasm of concern over nutrition assistance eligibility. Mann has concern over China’s aggression toward...

This week’s Agri-Pulse Open Mic guest is Karl Anderson, president of the Supporters of Agricultural Research Foundation. Since 2014, the SoAR Foundation has been working to increase public funding for agriculture research. Over the past few years, China, the European Union, India and other nations have continued to expand their work in food and agricultural research. During the same time, the numb...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind. The Senate Ag Committee member's efforts on Capitol Hill have proven him an effective leader on key issues pertaining to agriculture and rural America. Braun teamed with Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., on the Growing Climate Solutions Act; now, he’s lending support to the SAFE Food Act, renewable fuels legislation and a bill to offer a legislati...

This week’s Open Mic guest is, Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig. The 2nd District Democrat is a staunch supporter of both farm and nutrition programs and recognizes the challenge of meeting the needs of the nation while keeping an eye on overall spending. Craig supports Title 1 spending in the farm bill as well as crop insurance but says the biggest obstacle in writing new farm policy is protec...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. In this interview, Fischer explains the need for legislation to approve year-round sales of E-15 for the nation. She looks forward to crafting a new farm bill but admits nutrition will again be challenging for both sides of the aisle. She stands firmly against Mexico’s ban on genetically modified corn and says trading partners must be held acc...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Virginia Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger. The 7th District Representative is a strong supporter of conservation, risk management and nutrition programs, but like others in the legislature, recognizes the budget constraints in writing new farm language this year. Spanberger says the implications of Russia’s attack on Ukraine and closer ties between Vladimir Putin and...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council and the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance co-chair. After a year of negotiations, specialty crop producers have come to a conclusion on their priorities for the 2023 farm bill. In this interview, Quarles outlines a number of their objectives and responds to issues of trade, crop protection and sustainability. Quarles say...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association. Despite many obstacles, the U.S. dairy industry enjoyed a record year for exports in 2022. Dykes hopes that pattern will continue as consumers around the globe search for affordable protein supplies. In this interview, Dykes appeals to the Biden administration to be more aggressive in negot...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Kurt Coffey, Vice President of Case IH North America. The farm machinery industry continues to enjoy robust demand from farmers nationwide despite ongoing challenges from inflation, labor and shipping infrastructure. Coffey says the farm machinery pool is aging, and customers are anxious to acquire new technologies to offset a reduced labor force and meet sustainabili...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Brian Kuehl, executive director of Farmers for Free Trade. The group recently hosted a fly-in to give members the opportunity to encourage both Congress and the Biden administration to exert more energy on opening global market access through expanded trade agreements. Kuehl says trade should be a bipartisan issue, and legislative leaders must push the administration...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. The group has finalized its policy priorities for 2023 and is ready to assist lawmakers in developing a new farm bill. McKinney says NASDA members will let other farm groups take the lead on the specifics of commodity programs, but are very concerned that the U.S. is lagging in public a...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Citing recent research on farm income, the secretary is intently concerned about the financial outlook for small- and medium-sized farms in the nation. Vilsack believes alternative income streams from carbon sequestration, meat packing and next-generation fuels can provide opportunities for these operations to keep pace with economic...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla. The former House Ag Committee chairman is back on the panel in time to help craft a new farm bill, and he says the budget and spending will be an issue in nearly every policy proposal crossing the House floor in the 118th Congress. Lucas believes a new farm bill can be delivered on time in the year ahead but admits there could be a number of...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Steve Becraft, general manager and CEO of Southern States Cooperative. The farmer-owned retailer is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Becraft acknowledges the many challenges farmers and their cooperative have survived and looks forward to new horizons of meeting the needs of the customers and communities they serve. After a recent marriage with Growmark, B...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Jon Doggett, who retired as CEO of the National Growers Association at the end of 2022. In this interview, Doggett reflects on leaders and policy events in history where ag leaders met the challenges facing the industry. Doggett also discusses the role environmental issues may play in developing new farm programs, the odds of approving a new farm bill in 2023 and the...

This week’s Open Mic guest is Charles Baron, co-founder and chief innovation officer of Farmers Business Network. What began as a small group of farmers sharing seed performance information has become an international network of thousands of farmers and millions of acres. FBN has expanded its original model of data sharing to include product packaging, a national network of warehouses, farmer fina...