This week’s Open Mic guest is Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill. As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture and chairwoman of the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee, Bustos is encouraged by President Joe Biden’s commitment to agriculture, renewable fuels, climate and rural issues. The Illinois Democrat says the 117^th Congress has work to do to win the support of rural voters but believes members of the Biden cabinet, including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, can help to generate momentum. Bustos is hopeful diplomacy can yield better trade relations with China, Europe and Cuba and is hopeful for new opportunities with the U.K. and other developing nations of the world. Bustos says climate will be an underlying theme in nearly all policies approved in Washington this year.   

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. Farmers continue to help feed the hungry, but the number of Americans who are hungry and food insecure is greater today than during the Covid pandemic. Babineaux-Fontenot says the food lines may have moved back inside the buildings, but the need for food continues to grow as contributions are down and federal commodity donations have decreased. Babineaux-Fontenot says federal nutrition programs should be amended to avoid food “cliffs” and help individuals transition away from assistance programs. 

This week’s Open Mic guest is Ryan Heiniger, Executive Director of the Conservation Technology Information Center and Iowa farmer. He explains why CTIC has high expectations for the Sustainable Agriculture Summit scheduled for this week in Minneapolis. Heiniger discusses government programs and industry interest in helping farmers embrace sustainable agriculture practices. He previews a new "Conservation Connector" which will be introduced this week to help inform producers of assistance to bring cover crops and conservation practices to more acres and reach their 30 million acre goal by 2030. 

This week’s Open Mic guest is Michael McAdams, President of the Advanced Biofuels Association. After an extensive career serving on Capitol Hill, McAdams founded the ABFA in 2006.  The group represents all aspects of the advanced biofuels in the nation from large refiners to major feedstock providers and new technology groups.  McAdams believes government statutes for advanced biofuels are not working with taxpayer incentives to grow the industry. While the nation transitions to new leadership in Washington, a delay in the release of new regulations has the industry operating in a cloud of confusion. McAdams believes Congress needs to act in the Lame Duck Session to provide a window of time to provide clear rules for the industry to follow and meet the growing need for advanced biofuels.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Kip Eideberg, Senior Vice-President Government and Industry Relations for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.  Like the industries they serve, equipment manufacturers are familiar with the cyclical turns in farming, forestry, construction and mining. Eideberg says higher interest rates, a lack of trade agreements and sluggish economies around the globe and in the U.S. are proving challenging for the customers to make capital purchases. Eideberg is hopeful Congress will bring a new farm bill in the Lame Duck session or at least early next year. He says tax policy will also be critical next year as both industry  and customers need amended policy on deductions for research as well as depreciation.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Randy Russell, President of the Russell Group. The race for the White House and leadership of the 119th Congress is coming down to the wire. The majority of polls show very narrow margins, but Russell suggests some trends may be developing as indicators of a Harris or Trump administration. Russell says history could be made in this Congressional election but control of the House of Representatives may not be known for several days after Nov. 5. Disaster assistance will likely be on the Lame Duck agenda and perhaps an economic assistance package for farmers, however, Russell says a new five year farm bill will likely be added to an already stacked legislative agenda in 2025.