This week’s guest on Open Mic is Brett Begemann, Chief Operating Officer at Bayer Crop Science. Where do U.S. farmers stand in the face of increased global competition in the world? How is consumer perception affecting the development of agriculture innovation? What role does technology play in farmer sustainability goals? In this interview, Begemann addresses these and other difficult issues the industry faces and offers a glimpse of tomorrow’s agriculture systems.

This week's Open Mic guest is Ambassador Kip Tom, the leader of the U.S. efforts at the United Nations Food and Agriculture agencies in Rome. The Indiana farmer has a keen eye on the use of innovation to improve the conditions of smallholder farmers around the world, but is concerned about opposition to new technologies in food and agriculture. Tom says American producers should be invested in the work of the FAO and explains what he sees as the biggest challenges facing FAO and the global effort to fight hunger.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Tim Palmer, president of the National Association of Conservation Districts. With a continued emphasis on climate change and sustainability in Washington, the work of conservation stewards nationwide is coming into clear view. The Iowa farmer says conservation practices help to mitigate national disasters like floods and wildfires. Palmer welcomes new initiatives by farm groups and USDA to reduce farming’s environmental impact while increasing productivity. Conservation programs survived debate in the 2018 farm bill, but Palmer says program funds should be maintained and staff restored to local conservation offices.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Roger Johnson, President of the National Farmers Union. Earlier this year the North Dakota native announced he’ll not seek re-election. Johnson and NFU support policy to keep more farmers on the land and remain concerned about the economic health of rural America. Johnson offers his thoughts on agriculture’s place at the table on climate policy, his frustration with the EPA’s administration of the renewable fuels standard and challenges developing the next farm bill.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Dr. Heath Tarbert, chairman and chief executive of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The CFTC is perhaps the least known but most significant agency in Washington, regulating price discovery of most of the products consumers use every day. From electronic currencies to farm commodities and crude oil, the agency serves as an overseer of the derivatives market through various domestic commodity exchanges and collaborates with other agencies around the world. The agency has just released a position limits proposal to guard against excessive speculation in commodity trading that has been met with resistance in Washington. Tarbert says the CFTC is investing in advanced technology to monitor electronic trade and protect true price discovery.