This week's guest on Open Mic is Donnell Rehagen, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. The renewable biodiesel industry has seen much growth in production capacity and market demand, but is still short of its 2022 goal of a tenth of domestic diesel volume. This exclusive interview reveals a need for legislative attention to tax extenders, a continued call for a shift of tax benefits from producers to blenders and a desire for predictable volume standards from the EPA for biodiesel. Jeff NalleyDo...
Nov 13, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Jim Farrell, President and CEO of Farmers National Company. With declining commodity prices, land values, and net farm income some fear a repeat of the 1980's farm crisis. In this week's interview, Farrell discusses the similarities and differences to the last great bear market, steeper declines for land prices, the potential effects of larger enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program and the growing percentage of land controlled by investors and absentee ow...
Nov 06, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Jim Blome, President and CEO of Bayer CropScience LP and Head of Crop Protection for the North American region. Much attention has been given to Bayer's proposed acquisition of seed giant Monsanto. In this interview, Blome shares how the company's combined individual strengths can lead to future innovation and a structure better suited to withstand global regulatory headwinds. Blome speaks to the broader view of an industry structure, including companies both lar...
Oct 30, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Ed Hamberger, President and CEO of the American Association of Railroads. In this week's interview Hamberger discusses the longstanding relationships between agriculture, railroads and feeding the world. But the industry is facing economic and regulatory challenges that could negatively affect the rail industry and its customers. The AAR supports expanded global trade through the Trans-Pacific Partnership and is hopeful a new Congress can bring needed change to c...
Oct 23, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Bill Buckner, President and CEO of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and Board Chair for the National Soil Health Institute. In this interview, Buckner outlines a national effort to develop a standardized condition rating and testing for soil health. A standardized numeric value could help producers embrace agronomic practices, technology and cropping systems which could eventually be tied to risk protection plans and crop insurance as well as the overall value...
Oct 16, 2016
Just after returning from a trip to Cuba, Mike Strain, Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner and President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture tells Open Mic about the need to build stronger trade with our island neighbor and support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Following the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, Strain identifies the need for additional disaster assistance and other changes needed in a new farm bill. He also discusses the challenges of implementing fede...
Oct 09, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin D-WI. As a member of both the Senate Budget Committee and the Appropriations Committee, Senator Baldwin isn't fond of continuing resolution spending decisions. In this week's interview, the Wisconsin Democrat talks about the pending spending decisions facing the Congress following the November elections. Wisconsin farmers faced multiple extreme weather events this year and she discusses the economic and environmental storms before her s...
Oct 02, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Sterling Liddell, Senior Vice President for Rabo AgriFinance and Rabobank International in its Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory group. Discussion on a new farm bill has begun across the country and in Washington with calls to get an early start on new policy. Some analysts believe the nation is on the verge of another farm crisis. In this interview, Sterling Liddell offers evidence of financial stress he sees growing on crop farms and highlights fact...
Sep 25, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is John Weber, President of the National Pork Producers Council. Congressional decisions on trade and market direction in the next 60 days will set the course for the future of the U.S. swine industry. Weber, an Iowa pork producer, explains how market access to the participating countries of the Trans-Pacific Partnership is critical to the profitability of the nation's hog farmers. Weber also discusses the impact of domestic and global consolidation in the swine ind...
Sep 18, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is U.S. Representative Steve King. Fresh from a five week tour of the fourth district, King identifies the top concern among farmers and business leaders alike. King is keeping a watchful eye for debate on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and says despite mounting congressional opposition, the U.S. should not give up on the ideals of the global accord even if negotiations must take other forms. The Iowa Republican shares his view of expanded trade with Cuba and a conse...
Sep 11, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Dan Oh, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Renewable Energy Group. In this week's interview, learn how an Iowa cooperative expanded its quest to grow the value of soybean oil into a business with a global presence of producing not only renewable fuel, but renewable chemicals, as well as, a host of other products. Oh supports the nation's renewable energy policy but says the industry deserves a more routine, regular effort in decision making. This inform...
Sep 04, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Leif Magnusson, President of CLAAS Global Sales Americas and the 2016 Chair of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. This interview includes the status of an industry bearing the burden of a significant fall in US net farm income and the equipment manufacturers' perspective on global trade agreements. AEM supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and Magnusson shares possible consequences of a failure to ratify the trade pact. Magnusson addresses th...
Aug 28, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. In this interview, Secretary Vilsack discusses the current cyclical swing in farm income and the policy decision Washington must consider to protect the nation's farms and ranches. Vilsack says congressional leaders must consider "need" over budget when considering the next farm bill. While the Trans-Pacific Partnership remains a priority for the Obama administration, Vilsack discusses options to secure congressional suppor...
Aug 21, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is John Keeling, Executive Vice President and CEO of the National Potato Council. In many ways, the nation's potato growers opposed the biotech disclosure bill recently signed into law by President Obama. John Keeling voices grower concern over the country's shift in labeling philosophy and ideas on future litigation and legislation on food labels. In this week's interview you'll hear what this group of specialty crop growers want from a new farm bill and their thou...
Aug 14, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, who serves the 2nd District of Massachusetts and is a member of the House Agriculture and Rules Committees. McGovern believes food is an important tool to enhance U.S. national security and says farmers and consumers can both benefit from meaningful food and nutrition programs like SNAP. As ranking member on the nutrition sub-committee, McGovern believes additional spending on nutrition programs could save government spending on health car...
Aug 07, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Tom Sleight, President and CEO of the U.S. Grains Council. On the sidelines of the group's summer meeting last week in Louisville, Sleight was optimistic about market growth for not only bulk commodities but for "feed grains in all forms" including ethanol, DDGS, and meat. Sleight counters much of the "trade bashing" that's been taking place on the presidential campaign trail, pointing out that the U.S. has lost more jobs to technology than to trade. He also make...
Jul 31, 2016
This week's Open Mic guest is U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. As the nation's political focus turns to the Democratic convention in Philadelphia this week, the agriculture industry awaits what role farm, trade, nutrition and rural issues will play in the party platform. In this week's interview, Senator Klobuchar challenges suggestions that nutrition programs be separated from the farm bill, discusses the need for global trade and offers specific reasons why the Cuban embargo must be lifted. The Min...
Jul 24, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Pam Bailey, President and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. After months of hard fought debate over GMO food labels, standalone biotech disclosure legislation was approved by the U.S. Congress and will soon be signed into law by President Obama. Pam Bailey discusses how the labeling debate began and the challenges state labeling laws presented to interstate commerce. Bailey says GMA members are committed to providing the information consumers want and...
Jul 17, 2016
This week's Open Mic guest is Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.The dairy industry has turned sour as the NMPF celebrates its 100th anniversary, but dairy farmers have high hopes for new policy and greater global market access. In this interview, the dairy industry veteran discusses the challenges farmers face despite an amended federal dairy policy. Mulhern sees no guarantee of a new farm bill and says debate over biotech disclosure legislation could be a ...
Jul 10, 2016
This week's guest is Representative Mike Pompeo. The Kansas Republican served an integral role in developing his chamber's version of national GMO food labeling policy. Pompeo says it's time for congress to act and get the government out of the business of mandating labeling for inherently safe items. In this week's interview, Pompeo discusses the Senate's biotech disclosure proposal and the path that language might find in the House. Pompeo shares his view on global trade in response to the pos...
Jul 03, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Michel Nischan, CEO and Founder of Wholesome Wave, and an award-winning chef. The USDA announced a second amount of funding for the nonprofit to expand its healthy food initiative into areas of Connecticut and Vermont. The $500,000 was awarded through the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Program, enabling SNAP program participants to buy more locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. The program means better nutrition for consumers and increased opportunities...
Jun 26, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Todd Van Hoose, CEO and President of the Farm Credit Council. As the Farm Credit System celebrates its centennial this year, Todd Van Hoose says he's humbled by the achievements over the past century and excited about the opportunities in the next 100 years. In this week's interview Van Hoose discusses the troubled spots the industry is facing and says increased demands for government secured loans is a symptom of the challenges some farmers are facing. Van Hoose...
Jun 19, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, a genomics and biotechnology researcher at the University of California, Davis. Her work in animal breeding was inspired by Dr. Norman Borlaug's efforts to resolve hunger issues with genetically engineered plants. Van Eenennaam believes science has been left out of the debate over how foods should be labeled saying nutritional benefits are more important than how ingredients from plant varieties were bred. Van Eenennaam notes a differenc...
Jun 12, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is John Weber, President of the National Pork Producers Council. In this interview, Weber speaks to opportunities and challenges on the horizon for the nation's swine industry. While global demand for protein, especially pork, continues to grow, Weber and members of the NPPC adamantly support the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement to grant greater market access to growth markets. At home, Weber says pork producers face challenges from the USDA's pending GIPSA...
Jun 05, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Carl Casale, President and CEO of CHS Inc. The cyclical pendulum has brought the ag industry from record highs to lows not seen since the early 1980's. In this week's interview, Carl Casale shares a view that the industry hasn't yet seen the bottom of the income swing. Despite the current challenge, Casale shares a bright view for the next generation of the industry with tremendous turnover in producer demographics. Casale says CHS is pro-trade but believes the U...
May 29, 2016
This week's guest on Open Mic is Chris Novak, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association. In this week's interview, Novak shares the global vision of the NCGA's most recent strategic planning process and the Washington legislative agenda including continued work on a national GMO food labeling standard. He also reacts to negative opinions on global trade from the campaign trail and shares why the Renewable Fuel Standard is about giving consumers better environmental choices and not limiting th...
May 22, 2016
Our guest this week on Open Mic is Colorado U.S. Senator Cory Gardner. With a family farm machinery business in operation for over a century, Senator Gardner shares his experience with the cyclical nature of the agriculture industry and the need for farmers to have access to new advances in technology to remain productive and profitable. In the discussion this week Gardner shares thoughts on the EPA and their new water rules and his view that water issues should be resolved at the state level. T...
May 15, 2016
This week’s guest on Open Mic is U.S. Senator John Boozman. As the U.S. Congress returns to Capitol Hill this week, the Arkansas Republican expects much attention will be devoted to the appropriations process with a view of accomplishing the major work on spending bills before the end of the fiscal year. In this week’s interview, Senator Boozman shares his view on crafting federal rules on GMO food labeling, funding sources for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the need for fair trade ag...
May 08, 2016
This week’s guest on Open Mic is US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In this exclusive interview, the Kentucky Republican shares a very dismal view for approving a new trade agreement this year and his plans to see the appropriations process complete under regular order. McConnell shares his frustration with the Obama administration’s environmental agenda and thoughts on finding a compromise on federal preemption legislation to prevent state labeling laws on foods with ingredients from ge...
May 01, 2016
This week’s guest is Alabama 4th District Representative Robert Aderholt, who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture. In this week’s interview, Aderholt discusses his views on how appropriators addressed issues like SNAP benefits, rural development, sodium restrictions, additional testing for antibiotics in livestock production, crop insurance and funds to educate consumers on genetically engineered crops - and some of the challenges ahead when the bill hits the House floor,...
Apr 24, 2016
