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During the week of 11/17/2008, our Open Mic guest was Bob Dinneen, President & CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). As the national trade association for the U.S. ethanol industry, the RFA, organized in 1981, promotes policies, regulations and research and development initiatives that will lead to the increased production and use of fuel ethanol.
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The guest on our first Open Mic webcast (posted 10/10/08) was Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.
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During the week of 10/20/08, our Open Mic guest was Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer. Schafer reflected on the almost 9 months he has been in office, the challenges associated with farm bill implementation and his advice to whoever his successor might be. 
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During the week of 10/27/08, our Open Mic guest was Monsanto executive vice president Brett Begemann. Begemann leads the strategic approach and global coordination aimed at accelerating the growth potential of Monsanto businesses.
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Our Open Mic guest during the week of 11/03/08 was Bob Engel, President and CEO of CoBank, a $62 billion member of the Farm Credit System.  
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During the week of 11/10/2008, our Open Mic guest was Clayton Yeutter, a senior advisor on international trade and food and agriculture matters to Hogan & Hartson, an international law firm headquartered in Washington, DC. Prior to joining Hogan & Hartson, Ambassador Yeutter served as U.S. Trade Representative between 1985 and 1989, as Secretary of Agriculture from 1989 until 1991 and chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1991 to 1992. 
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Our Open Mic guest during the week of 11/24/08 was Rep. Collin Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture. Peterson was interviewed by Stewart Doan on Nov. 22 following his remarks at an agriculture town hall meeting in Jonesboro, Arkansas. 
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Our Open Mic guest during the week of 12/01/08 was Chris Novak, Chief Executive Officer of the National Pork Board, which is responsible for checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Novak joined the on Oct. 1, 2008.
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 12/08/08 week was Sue Ellerbusch, president of BP Biofuels North America. Ellerbusch discussed the BP commitment to – and expertise in – sustainable biofuels.  
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 8/30/09 was Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). DeHaven, a former administrator of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, says the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act would take an important tool out of the veterinarian toolbox when it comes to producing healthy animals and safe food. He also makes the case for a mandatory National Animal Identification System and says he is comfortable with the Department of Homeland Security decision to construct a state-of-the-art exotic animal disease research facility on the U.S. mainland.
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 12/15/08 was Johnny Dodson, president of the American Soybean Association (ASA). Dodson explains why the ASA decided to seek a USDA Inspector General investigation and audit of the United Soybean Board. 
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Our Open Mic guest during the week of 12/22/08 was Chuck Meyers, chairman of the United Soybean Board. He talked about the USB relationship with the American Soybean Association, which is seeking a USDA Inspector General investigation and audit of USB and the U.S. Soybean Export Council.  
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Our first Open Mic guest of 2009 (week of 1/05) was USDA Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner, who was named the new president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives on Jan. 2. Conner reflected on his eight years as a key ag adviser to President Bush --first, as Bush special assistant for agriculture from 2001-2005 and then as perhaps the most influential Deputy Secretary of Agriculture ever. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 1/12/09 was Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Interviewed by Senior Editor Stewart Doan during the 90th AFBF annual meeting in San Antonio, Stallman talked about how the incoming Obama administration is likely to impact farmers and ranchers. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 1/19/09 was Burton Eller, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Cattlemens Beef Association. Eller discusses the NCBA Washington agenda for 2009 as well as cattle industry concerns about the 111th Congress and the Obama administration. 
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Our Open Mic guest for the week of 1/26/09 was Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Harkin previewed the 2009 agenda for the committee and explained how the Obama Administration approach to farm policy will differ from the Bush Administration. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 2/02/09 was Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the largest animal-rights organization. Pacelle discusses the need for a ban on the slaughter of non-ambulatory livestock and explains why changes in animal husbandry practices are "inevitable." 
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Appearing on Open Mic the week of 2/09/09 was Mike Dunn, acting chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Dunn talked about what the CFTC is doing to protect market participants and ensure the viability and integrity of futures markets in the wake of dramatic price swings a year ago. 
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Our Open Mic guest during the week of 2/16/09 was Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Vilsack makes the Obama administration case for broadening the mission of USDA to reflect the important role the Department plays in the lives of all Americans, not just farmers and ranchers. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 2/23/09 was USDA Chief Economist Dr. Joe Glauber. On the eve of the annual USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum, Glauber explained how these "turbulent times" are shaping his 2009 projections for the U.S. farm sector. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 2/23/09 was Bob Rasche, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Rasche discussed the economic slowdown and its implications for the U.S. agriculture sector 
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During the week of 3/2/09, our Open Mic guest was National Farmers Union President Tom Buis, who is stepping down this week to become CEO of Growth Energy, an ethanol trade association. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 3/16/09 was Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), the ranking minority member of the House Agriculture Committee. Lucas discussed, among other things, his concerns with the Obama administration 2010 budget proposal and the potential for farmers and ranchers to be saddled with a sizeable amount of the cost associated with climate change legislation. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 3/23/09 was Andy Lowery, immediate past chairman of the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation, which is responsible for financial disclosure and the release of public information concerning the financial condition and performance of the Farm Credit System (FCS). Lowery says most FCS customers have "very strong" balance sheets, leaving the System "well-positioned" to weather a prolonged economic downturn. 
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During the week of 3/30/09 our Open Mic guest was Joe Jobe, chief executive officer of the National Biodiesel Board, the trade association representing the U.S. biodiesel industry. While the industry has been producing more biodiesel than the Renewable Fuels Standard requires, Jobe said decisions that are due to be made this year by the EPA, Congress and the European Commission will determine the long-term future of the industry. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 4/06/09 was Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Chambliss talks about the refusal of Congress to go along with the Obama-proposed direct payment phase-out, complains about the slow pace of Farm Bill implementation by the new administration and offers his view of the idea pushed by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to replace the current farm safety net with a market-based cap-and-trade system.  
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 4/13/09 was Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, which publishes a controversial online Farm Subsidy Database that it claims is driving reform in federal farm programs. Cook says the EWG is pleased the Obama administration has followed the lead of the Bush administration in proposing changes in who can receive farm program payments. 
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American Farm Bureau Chief Economist Bob Young was our guest on Open Mic during the week of 4/20/09. With Congress set to tackle climate change, Young discussed the implications for agriculture. 
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 4/27/09 was Jim Borel, group vice president-agriculture, Dupont. Borel talks about how the DuPont business segment he heads up continues to make money even in these uncertain economic times. He also provides an overview of the DuPont ag product pipeline and explains why he is confident the next generation of biotech traits will make an even greater contribution to increasing yields. 
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During the week of 5/04/09 our Open Mic guest was Phil Seng, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), the export promotion arm of the U.S. beef, pork and lamb industries. Seng said the H1N1 influenza-inspired suspension of U.S. pork shipments by ten countries will be short-lived. In addition, Seng weighed in on two highly controversial policy issues that have big ramifications for U.S. beef exports: voluntary vs. mandatory animal ID and country-of-origin labeling. 
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 5/11/09 was Andy LaVigne, president & CEO of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA). LaVigne talks about the cost impact of the federal regulatory process on seed prices, moves by states to increase seed sales and testing fees, the USDA-APHIS proposal to update biotech plant regs and what the Obama administration emphasis on organic agriculture means for ASTA and its members.  
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Our Open Mic guest during the week of 5/18/09 was food safety advocate Carol Tucker-Foreman, Distinguished Fellow at the Consumer Federation of America Food Policy Institute. Tucker-Foreman, a former assistant secretary of agriculture for food and consumer services, talks about why Washington must overhaul the U.S. food safety system and what reforms are needed. 
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Our Open Mic guest during the week of 5/25/09 was Daren Coppock, chief executive officer of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG). Coppock outlines NAWG goals for climate change legislation working its way through the House and talks about what agriculture groups must do to ensure the needs of farmers and ranchers are addressed. Coppock also explains why wheat groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia are working toward the synchronized commercialization of biotech traits in the wheat crop. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 6/01/09 was Mark Lange, president and CEO of the National Cotton Council (NCC). With cotton acreage nationally expected to fall to its lowest level in more than a quarter century, Lange talks about the state of the U.S. cotton sector and how the NCC, the industry umbrella organization, is adjusting to the new reality. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 6/08/09 was Forrest Roberts, chief executive officer of the National Cattlemens Beef Association (NCBA). Roberts talks about his priorities for NCBA and offers the associations take on a number of issues impacting the business climate for beef producers - including expanding beef exports to Japan, greenhouse gas regulation, food versus fuel and the increasing influence of animal welfare activists. 
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Our Open Mic guest this week is Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. DeLauro explains why the subcommittee marked up a FY 2010 spending bill last week that eliminates funding for the USDA National Animal Identification System while increasing spending for food safety, Farm Bill-mandated conservation programs, and Farm Service Agency IT modernization. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 6/22/09 was is Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union, who visited with Senior Editor Stewart Doan on June 18 immediately following a meeting with Reps. Collin Peterson, Henry Waxman and Ed Markey to discuss the role of agriculture in cap-and-trade climate legislation. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 6/29/09 was Glenn English, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), who was involved in the House climate legislation talks between chairmen Collin Peterson and Henry Waxman. English, a former Democratic congressman from Oklahoma, explains how those negotiations resulted in a better deal on carbon allowances for rural electric co-ops. 
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Our guest on Open Mic guest the week of 7/06/09 was is Rick Tolman, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). Tolman said the USDA 87 million acre corn planting estimate, the second largest ever, should put to rest fears that U.S. corn growers will not be able to supply all needs for food, feed and fuel in 2009/10. NCGA led the charge for the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program, and Tolman offered his thoughts on why farmer interest in ACRE so far has not met expectations. 
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 7/13/09 was Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (E&PW) and a global warming skeptic, who reacts to the decision by E&PW Chairman Barbara Boxer D-CA) to delay markup of climate change legislation until after the August recess. Inhofe cautions farm and commodity groups not to fall for the strategy of advocates of a cap and trade system, which he claims is to convince each group it will come out a winner, and explains why the 5-year deferral of international land use change requirements contained in the House-passed version will not survive a House-Senate conference committee. 
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During the week 7/20/09 our Open Mic Guest was Jerry Warner, president of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and EVP of Farmers National Company. Warner says demand for high-quality farmland remains strong and adds that inflationary are fears rekindling investor interest in owning farmland. He also talks about the influence of ethanol on land values, expresses concern about attempts by Washington to pile more rules and regulations on agriculture and explains why land owners have been reluctant to enroll their farms in the new Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 7/27/09 was former Secretary of Agriculture and now Senator Mike Johanns,(R-NE) who calls the administration rush to enact climate change legislation without a full accounting of the impact on farmers the "Obama hope and a prayer plan for agriculture." In addition, Sen. Johanns explains why he believes the Obama USDA is making a mistake by emphasizing organic farming over large-scale agriculture. 
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 8/3/09 was Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), chairman of the health care task force for the Blue Dog Coalition. Ross made no apologies for "putting the brakes" on the Obama administration plan to have the House pass a health care reform bill prior to the August recess and said the agreement he negotiated with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman protects rural hospitals and the vast majority of small businesses. 
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 9/07/09 was Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), a member of the Agriculture, Energy and Finance committees. In a wide-ranging interview, an "energized" Lincoln talked about her chances of chairing the Ag Committee, graded the early performance of USDA under President Barack Obama and voiced strong opposition to the cap-and-trade system contained in House-passed climate change legislation.
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 9/14/09 was Tim Lust, chief executive officer of the National Sorghum Producers (NSP). These are exciting times for the sorghum industry, according to Lust, who explains how a new grower-financed research and program and the crop’s increasing use as an ethanol feedstock are raising the competitive profile of sorghum. He also talks about the NSP’s campaign to obtain more equitable crop insurance treatment for sorghum and the organization’s concerns with cap-and-trade climate legislation moving through Congress.
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During the week of 9/21/09, our guest on Open Mic was Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), a leading voice for specialty crops during the 2008 Farm Bill debate, who talked about the USDA implementation of those fruit and vegetable provisions, congressional efforts to address the dairy crisis, and his concerns about EPA regulations and proposed legislation to phase out routine use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 9/28/09 was Neil Dierks, CEO of the National Pork Producers Council. With the U.S. pork industry mired in a deepening economic crisis and bracing for more H1N1 fallout, Dierks suggests that recovery will be slow and painful due to the amount of herd liquidation that still must occur, the weakened financial position of producers, and their difficulty in accessing credit. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 10/05/09 was Jim Miller, USDA Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. Charged with overseeing the USDA implementation of the Commodity Title of the 2008 Farm Bill, Miller provides a review of the progress made toward activating new safety net programs and subsidy eligibility rules. Miller also addresses concerns that the Obama administration is not focused on promoting U.S. farm exports, and explains why he is trying to ease tensions between the American Soybean Association and the United Soybean Board. 
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On Open Mic the week of 10/12/09, Senior Editor Stewart Doan went one-on-one with General Wesley Clark, co-chairman of Growth Energy, an ethanol trade association. Clark comments on the state of the U.S. ethanol industry, accuses the Obama EPA of trying to kill corn-based ethanol, and reacts to a letter by the National Corn Growers Association complaining that competitive “gymnastics” between Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association, another ethanol trade group, are jeopardizing support for ethanol on Capitol Hill. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 10/19/09 was Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR), a farmer who serves as a member of the House Appropriations and Budget committees and someone who is very concerned about the record high $1.4 trillion federal deficit. He provides a candid assessment of the Obama Administrations understanding of agriculture and tells why he regrets having voted for the 2008 Farm Bill conference report. A member of the "Blue Dog" coalition, Berry believes that the Administration and Democratic leaders in Congress have strayed too far to the left on health care reform and climate change legislation, and predicts his party will pay a price in the mid-term elections. 
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Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) was our guest on Open Mic during the week of 10/26/09. Roberts made a forceful argument for building the new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility on the U.S. mainland in Kansas, commented on the condition of the farm economy and questioned the Obama Administration commitment to trade and to commercial-scale agriculture. 
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Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), a member of the Agriculture and Finance committees, was our guest on Open Mic the week of 11/02/09. A strong supporter of biofuels and tighter farm program payment limits, Grassley talks about legislative and regulatory challenges facing the ethanol and biodiesel industries and explains how the Sen. Blanche Lincoln chairmanship of the Ag Committee will impact the payment limit debate. Grassley says he likes what he hears from the Obama Administration when it comes to ensuring competition in agriculture markets but not when it comes to negotiating new trade deals.  
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 11/09/09 was Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). While not a member of the Agriculture Committee, Tester, a farmer, has used his seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee to shape policy on issues of importance to the livestock industry, including animal ID and the location of the new National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility. In this interview, the first-term senator also offers his views on the current health care reform debate, describes how legislation he’s sponsoring would strengthen the beef checkoff program, and explains why he prefers reform – rather than repeal – of the estate tax.  
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 11/16/09 was Larry Elworth, chief agricultural counselor to the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, who discussed the Obama EPA philosophy when it comes to environmental regulation of agriculture. Elworth also previewed soon-to-be announced EPA decisions regarding higher ethanol blends and implementation of the RFS2 final rule and explained why the agency did not contest a federal appeals court ruling requiring Clean Water Act permits for pesticide applications on, over or near water. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 11/23/09 was Rep. John Salazar (D-CO), who has introduced legislation to exclude farm assets from the estate tax that he thinks can win House approval before the end of this year. The brother of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Rep. Salazar, a cattle rancher and member of the fiscally conservative "Blue Dog" coalition, suggests the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act has created too few jobs and explains how the American Clean Energy and Security Act would negatively impact rural America. He also identifies potential growth markets for U.S. farm exports and shares his views on the National Animal Identification System. 
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Jeff Broin, chief executive officer of POET, the largest U.S. producer of ethanol, was our guest on Open Mic the week of 11/30/09. POET has been making cellulosic ethanol from corn cobs at a demonstration plant in South Dakota for a year, and Broin says the company is on track to open a commercial-scale facility in 2011 in Iowa. Broin comments on the current economics of ethanol production and explains how federal policy decisions regarding biofuel loan guarantees, higher ethanol blends and indirect land use will determine the commercial viability of second-generation ethanol. 
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Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS), the ranking member of the House Ag Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, was the guest on Open Mic the week of 12/07/09. A vocal opponent of the House passed American Clean Energy and Security Act, Moran says he is convinced USDA does not understand the negative consequences of cap and trade legislation on farmers and other rural Americans. Moran also comments on the House estate tax reform vote, Cuba trade legislation he is working on with Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, and bipartisan interest in improving federal crop insurance in the 2013 Farm Bill, hearings on which are tentatively set to begin next year. 
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Our final Open Mic guest for 2009 was Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist at Wells Fargo & Co., who says the U.S. and global economic outlooks have new and even more volatile connections to the ag markets, making risk management a necessity going forward. For farmers and ranchers, according to Swanson, the future also includes a return of inflation and higher interest rates. He predicts the U.S. dollar will stay weak "for a long time," and explains why consumers better get used to higher food prices. 
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Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Commissioner Bart Chilton joined us on Open Mic during the week of 1/04/10 to preview the commission’s plans for beefing up regulation of commodity futures markets early in 2010, including position limits for what he calls ”massive, passive” speculative fund traders and fewer exemptions from those limits. Chilton talks about his wish-list for market reform legislation moving through Congress and discusses the unique challenges of regulating carbon markets. He also comments on the CFTC’s ongoing investigation into the dramatic run-up in cotton futures prices that occurred in March 2008 and reflects on his experience as co-chair of then President-elect Obama’s USDA Transition Team. 
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 1/11/10 was Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). Stallman talked about the farm sector relationship with the Obama administration and suggested the time has come for an aggressive response to the opponents of modern agriculture. He also offered the AFBF view on several top-of-mind policy issues, including the record federal budget deficit and how it will shape the 2012 Farm Bill debate, environmental regulation, and trade. 
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Jack Fisher, executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF), joined us the week of 1/18/10 on Open Mic to talk about the successful strategy employed by OFBF and a broad coalition of state agriculture groups to take ownership of the farm animal care issue in the Buckeye State via passage of Ballot Issue 2. Fisher calls their victory on Nov. 3 "one step" in what he anticipates will be a costly continuing battle with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and he offers advice to livestock and poultry producers in other states in the crosshairs of HSUS. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 1/24/10 was Bill Buckner, president and chief executive officer of Bayer CropScience LP (BCS), who offered his views on climate change legislation and the more challenging regulatory climate in Washington, DC, in general, for the crop protection industry. He also talked about the state of competition in the biotech seeds and traits business and the BCS strategy to become a major trait provider, and how the company has been impacted by commodity price volatility. 
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 2/1/10 was Edward Avalos, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. We asked Avalos to bring us up to date on a number of key policy issues in his mission area, including: the Department of Justice-USDA ag competition workshops; the National Animal Identification System; mediation between the American Soybean Association and United Soybean Board, and expectations for the newly-formed USDA Dairy Industry Advisory Committee. 
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USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan was our Open Mic guest the week of 2/8/10. Merrigan talked about the USDA decision to scrap the National Animal Identification System, the Obama Administration 2011 budget priorities for Rural America, and USDA top policy successes in 2009. She also shared her view on government regulation of agriculture and her vision for the "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative. 
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Sen. John Thune (R-SD) joined us the week of 2/15/10 on Open Mic to discuss the political climate for farmers and for Republicans in Washington, DC. Thune, up for re-election in 2010, talks about the chances of passing a bi-partisan energy bill and free trade agreements, weighs in on President Obama 2011 budget priorities for agriculture, and addresses speculation about his presidential ambitions. 
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Our Open Mic guest the week of 2/29/10 was Sen. Kit Bond. With cap-and-trade climate legislation seemingly going nowhere in the Senate, the Missouri Republican fears the Obama Administration will impose a "backdoor" tax on carbon. It was Bonds idea to have certain National Guard units deploying to Afghanistan take on an agricultural development mission and he says it is paying off. He also talks about the lack of funding for the Water Resources Development Act, comments on increased animal welfare activism in Missouri and expresses cautious optimism that Europe is warming to ag biotechnology. 
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Our guest on Open Mic the week of 3/1/10 was ek on Open Mic was Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA), chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, who will be a key player in the next Farm Bill debate. Boswell talks about the "important" role of crop insurance in the farm safety net, offers his opinion on cap-and-trade climate legislation, and discusses his disagreements with legislation that aims to ban the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. 
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