Groundwork

Veteran Journalist Jim Wiesemeyer joined us on the Groundwork podcast to discuss the latest on reconciliation, trade, and the recently released MAHA report. 

Dr. Nate Kauffman joined the Groundwork podcast to share his insights on the economic conditions in farm country. 

Dr. Dana Allen-Tully, former president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, joined the Groundwork podcast to discuss what’s at stake if a Farm Bill is not passed this year.  

Rep. Collin Peterson, former Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, joins the Groundwork podcast to reflect on past Farm Bills and discuss how to get the much-needed 2024 Farm Bill across the finish line. 

Rep. Finstad represents Minnesota’s First Congressional District and currently serves on the House Agriculture Committee. He’s also a fourth-generation farmer raising seven kids, the upcoming fifth-generation, with his wife Jackie. The Congressman joined us on the Groundwork podcast to discuss the happenings of the 118th Congress, the odds of a Farm Bill in 2024, and more key topics impacting prod...

Most of us take our abundant supply of food for granted. We’d say we’re lucky – but it’s not luck. It’s thanks to the hard work of America’s farming families and smart farm policies supported by Congress. A new study from the acclaimed economists Drs. Joe Outlaw and Bart Fischer at the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M , and specially prepared for the Southwest Council of Agribu...

This holiday season, America’s farmers and ranchers are at the top of our nice list for growing and raising the crops and livestock that keep us all fed. The family farmers who grow sugarbeets and sugarcane – and the workers who transform these plants into the sugar in our holiday desserts – are an essential part of this food supply chain.

Last summer, corn had a golden moment when seven-year-old Tariq was  interviewed about his love for corn  in a video that permeated pop culture. That same year,  nearly 90 million acres of corn  were planted across the United States, providing a valuable food source and driving economic growth in rural communities. We recently called up Richard Syverson, a fourth-generation farmer and president of...

Did you know the average age of an American farmer is almost 58 years old? It’s a startling statistic, considering the vital role of farmers in our daily lives. With a growing global population and a dwindling number of farmers and ranchers, it’s critical that farm policies support the next generation of producers.  Thankfully,  the National FFA Organization ,  made up of over 850,000 students acr...

It’s budget season on Capitol Hill, and when it comes to the federal budget, there is no better investment than farm policy. That’s because only a fraction of a percent of federal spending is directed towards the farm safety net. Yet, that small budget supports family farmers, protects our national food security, and drives economic growth. Dr. Bart Fischer, a Farm Bill veteran and co-director of...

Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, knows there's a sense of urgency to pass a Farm Bill before the current legislation expires on October 1. “Rural America needs it,” he explained on the most recent episode of Farm Policy Fact's  Groundwork podcast . “Our farmers, ranchers, and foresters, our processors – key stakeholders in rural America – demand it. And...

It’s a rallying cry pushed by special-interest groups and farm policy critics: dismantle the U.S. food system! But a fundamental misunderstanding of how our food is grown leads to bad ideas and even worse policy. Ray Starling, a former White House and U.S. Department of Agriculture official, explores this debate in his new book  "Farmers versus Foodies."

As Thanksgiving approaches, food prices might be a topic of conversation around your dinner table. Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis at the American Sugar Alliance (ASA) and the former Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), joined Farm Policy Facts on our Groundwork podcast to talk about the importance of an affordable and accessible supply of Amer...

When you look at farms across the American southwest, you’re struck by the incredible diversity of agriculture. Rice, poultry, timber, peanuts, pecans, cotton, corn and “all the vegetables you can imagine” help fuel our national food and fiber supply. Jim Sugarek, president of the Southwest Council of Agribusiness, told the Groundwork podcast that each of the half a million farms across the southw...

With a Farm Bill on the horizon, Congress is already hearing from policy wonks, think tank experts, and DC insiders about what they think legislation should say. But the most important voice in this conversation is the American farmer. So, we asked fourth-generation rice farmer Jennifer James to join us on the Groundwork podcast and provide her perspective on the challenges facing agriculture, esp...

When August Pfluger decided to join the Air Force, he drew upon a deeply ingrained desire to put service before self. Now, as the congressman representing Texas’ 11th district, Pfluger recognizes that same motivation in the small number of hardworking men and women who farm and ranch to provide all Americans with food, fuel, and fiber. “It’s very difficult what that one percent of the population d...

Jocelyn Schlichting is a fourth-generation farmer who recently joined Farm Policy Facts on our Groundwork podcast to talk about the future of agriculture. Jocelyn returned to the farm five years ago after working as an accountant in corporate America, finding new purpose in growing the food that helps feed America, and the world. Jocelyn is much more likely to be found in front of a computer than...

In America,  approximately 220,000 farming and ranching families  raise 80 percent of the crops and livestock that feed and clothe our nation. All 330 million of us. “That is a very big task for a very small group of people,” crop insurance agent Joanie Grimes recently told Farm Policy Facts on our Groundwork podcast It’s a task that comes with big risks, too. Joanie, an agent with the Auburn Agen...

Benjamin Franklin once famously said, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. So, we invited Paul Neiffer, Principal at CliftonLarsonAllen and author of the blog  Farm CPA Today , to join us on the Groundwork podcast to discuss how current – and proposed – tax provisions affect our farmers.  

When we think of farming, the food on our plates and clothes on our backs likely comes to mind. But what about the fuel in our cars? Ethanol is a low-carbon, high-performance biofuel made from American-grown crops such as corn and sorghum. Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy, the nation’s largest ethanol trade association, joined us on Groundwork to talk more about how farmers help fuel America. 

Kevin Van Trump has built a successful career translating the economics of agriculture as president and founder of Farm Direction and author of the  Van Trump Report .   So, when  USDA released its updated report on America’s Diverse Family Farms  – a critical report on American farm production, but one that is easily open to misinterpretation and misuse by farm policy critics – we knew we had to...

Challenges in the cattle markets are not new, but the pandemic has herded these problems to the forefront with historic packer profits – a function of spreads between the prices ranchers are paid for their cattle and the prices people pay at the grocery store or other retail markets for beef. In the wake of these unprecedented conditions, Congress commissioned a new report from the Agricultural an...

More than ten years ago, Michelle Miller gave up gluten and swore off GMOs after believing the pervasive misinformation often peddled online about modern-day farming. Then, she fell in love with a real-life farmer – and with farming itself. Now, Miller is arming everyday Americans with the real facts about agriculture. It’s all part of her mission as the  Farm Babe .

“I’m very proud of the fact that we’ve sustained a sugar policy that has operated at zero cost to taxpayers,” Jack Roney, the veteran sugar economist, said on a recent episode of Groundwork while reflecting on his storied career at the American Sugar Alliance (ASA). “I’m particularly proud of that because I think our sugar farmers are among some of the best in the world at what they do.” Roney wou...

For decades, West Texas cotton growers have had a fearless champion on their side: Steve Verett. As the recently retired CEO of Plains Cotton Growers, Verett advocated for both cotton growers and all of agriculture with passion and authenticity.  Verett joined Farm Policy Fact’s Groundwork podcast to reflect on his career and talk about what lies ahead for the next generation of farm leaders.