Open Mic Replay - An Extensive Catalog of Our Audio Interviews

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Eight-term U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., joined us on Open Mic the week of 4/25/11 to talk about the policy priorities of the unusually large contingent of northeastern congressmen on the House Agriculture Committee. McGovern, who cares "deeply" about food and nutrition issues, wants President Obama to follow through on his campaign pledge to end hunger in America, and he explains why he opposes the Administration's decision to send the Colombia FTA to Capitol Hill for approval.Eight-term U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., joins us on Open Mic the week of 4/25/11 to talk about the policy priorities of the unusually large contingent of northeastern congressmen on the House Agriculture Committee. McGovern, who cares "deeply" about food and nutrition issues, wants President Obama to follow through on his campaign pledge to end hunger in America, and he explains why he opposes the Administration's decision to send the Colombia FTA to Capitol Hill for approval.
U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, joined us on Open Mic the week of 4/18/11 for a discussion about the elimination of spending earmarks, the impact of the final FY11 CR and the House-passed FY12 budget proposal on agriculture, and the future of U.S.-Cuban trade relations.
The proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards rule governing livestock and poultry marketing, EPA regs and high feed costs are just some of the issues that fall under the jurisdiction of the House Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee. The chairman of that subcommittee, Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fl., joined us on Open Mic the week of 4/11/11 to talk about those issues along with his expectations for the 2012 Farm Bill, Cuba trade legislation and the chances of permanent estate tax reform.
With the first Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on the 2012 Farm Bill coming up at the end of this week, Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., joined us on Open Mic the week of 4/4/11 to talk about the process she'll employ to write new ag policy and how high commodity prices and Washington's fiscal woes will influence the debate. Stabenow discusses what a "credible" safety net for production agriculture should entail and lists simpler farm program administration and delivery as one of her top goals for the legislation. Following the House vote to prohibit Clean Water Act regulation of pesticides, Stabenow outlines her plan for addressing the legal ruling in National Cotton Council v. EPA.With the first Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on the 2012 Farm Bill coming up at the end of this week, Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., joined us on Open Mic the week of 4/4/11 to talk about the process she'll employ to write new ag policy and how high commodity prices and Washington's fiscal woes will influence the debate. Stabenow discusses what a "credible" safety net for production agriculture should entail and lists simpler farm program administration and delivery as one of her top goals for the legislation. Following the House vote to prohibit Clean Water Act regulation of pesticides, Stabenow outlines her plan for addressing the legal ruling in National Cotton Council v. EPA.
Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, joined us on Open Mic the week of 3/28/11 for a discussion about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and the U.S. trade policy agenda. She refutes the "myths" about HFCS and explains the role that the "low-cost" alternative to cane and beet sugar plays in our daily lives. Erickson, an outspoken advocate for bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, comments on the pending FTA's with South Korea, Colombia and Panama and on continued U.S. participation in the Doha Round of world trade talks, and she argues that it's in agriculture's best interest for USDA to retain export promotion responsibility for farm products.Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, joined us on Open Mic the week of 3/28/11 for a discussion about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and the U.S. trade policy agenda. She refutes the "myths" about HFCS and explains the role that the "low-cost" alternative to cane and beet sugar plays in our daily lives. Erickson, an outspoken advocate for bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, comments on the pending FTA's with South Korea, Colombia and Panama and on continued U.S. participation in the Doha Round of world trade talks, and she argues that it's in agriculture's best interest for USDA to retain export promotion responsibility for farm products.
On Open Mic the week of 3/21/11, the latest on disaster recovery efforts in Japan, the third-largest market for American farm exports, from the director of the U.S. Grains Council office in Tokyo. Tommy Hamamoto talks about the rebuilding challenge ahead for the Japanese people as well as for agriculture in the earthquake and tsunami-stricken zone. He also shares his observations about the availability of food in the capitol city and feed elsewhere in the country and what it could mean for imports of U.S. grain and meat.On Open Mic the week of 3/21/11, the latest on disaster recovery efforts in Japan, the third-largest market for American farm exports, from the director of the U.S. Grains Council office in Tokyo. Tommy Hamamoto talks about the rebuilding challenge ahead for the Japanese people as well as for agriculture in the earthquake and tsunami-stricken zone. He also shares his observations about the availability of food in the capitol city and feed elsewhere in the country and what it could mean for imports of U.S. grain and meat.
The Chairman of the House Conservation, Energy & Forestry Subcommittee joins us on on Open Mic the week of 3/14/11. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Penn., talks about EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson's testimony to the House Ag Committee last week and her agency's regulation of nutrient runoff into the ecologically sensitive Chesapeake Bay. He also previews the subcommittee's agenda for the coming year, including preparations for writing the Conservation Title of the next farm bill, and given his long involvement in the health care industry Thompson lists the health care needs of rural Americans. The Chairman of the House Conservation, Energy & Forestry Subcommittee joins us on on Open Mic the week of 3/14/11. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Penn., talks about EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson's testimony to the House Ag Committee last week and her agency's regulation of nutrient runoff into the ecologically sensitive Chesapeake Bay. He also previews the subcommittee's agenda for the coming year, including preparations for writing the Conservation Title of the next farm bill, and given his long involvement in the health care industry Thompson lists the health care needs of rural Americans.
The USDA Undersecretary in charge of research, education and economics was our guest on Open Mic the week of 3/7/11. Dr. Cathie Woteki is touring college campuses to encourage students to take more science courses and raise awareness of food and agriculture as a career option. In our interview, she talks about the House-passed Continuing Resolution for the remainder of fiscal 2011, President Obama’s FY 2012 budget blueprint and about changes ahead for America’s world-renowned and often-emulated Extension system.
The House Republican who will get the first shot at drafting the Commodity Title of the next farm bill is our guest this week on Open Mic. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), chairman of the Agriculture Committee’s General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee, dismisses President Obama’s FY 2012 budget recommendations while acknowleding that the House-passed CR would put “tremendous strain” on the Farm Service Agency’s ability to administer safety net programs. Conaway talks about whether or not the Farm Bill re-write will occur in 2012 or 2013, potential changes in the farm safety net, crop insurance and the ACRE program. As Chair of the Ag Subcommittee with jurisdiction over futures trading, Conaway also discusses the Dodd-Frank Financial Regulatory Reform bill and legislation he is preparing on trade with Cuba. 
Connie Tipton, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), joined us on Open Mic the week of 2/14/11. IFA, which represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, has got issues with the National Milk Producer’s Federation “Foundation for the Future” proposal for dairy policy reform. Tipton agrees that reform is needed but thinks it would be unwise to ask Congress for changes until there’s broad agreement within the dairy community on what changes are needed. She explains why IDFA supports the passage of bilateral trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama and the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement that includes dairy exporting powerhouse New Zealand. Tipton also comments on revised federal school meal and dietary guidelines and expresses some reservations about their potential impact on milk consumption. 
Freshman U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) was our guest on Open Mic the week of 2/7/11. Hoeven, who was the nation’s longest-serving Governor at the time of his 3-to-1 margin of victory in the November general election to succeed retiring Senator Byron Dorgan, lists job creation, spending discipline, passage of an all-encompassing energy policy and the “right kind” of health care reform as his top priorities for the 112th session of Congress. A strong supporter of biofuels, Hoeven believes that scarce federal dollars should be used to encourage more demand for ethanol via blender pumps and flex fuel vehicles. He joins North Dakota’s senior U.S. Senator, Democrat Kent Conrad, on the Senate Agriculture Committee and says he’ll work to maintain a “cost-effective” safety net in the 2012 Farm Bill. 
Jason Henderson, vice president and Omaha Branch executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, joined us on Open Mic the week of 1/31/11 to discuss the condition of the farm and rural economy. Henderson dismisses ideas that current farm sector fundamentals – strong commodity prices, incomes, land values and exports – represent a new “normal” for U.S. agriculture. In our interview, he focuses more on the ‘bust cycle” that he’s sure will follow once interest rates start to rise. In the meantime, Henderson, who manages the Kansas City Fed’s "Main Street Economist" publication, says rural America has changed a lot since the 1980’s: community banks are in good financial shape, as are rural retailers, who he notes saw “solid” Christmas holiday sales and are hiring workers at a faster pace than businesses in metropolitan areas. 
One of America's most influential agricultural policy experts joined us on Open Mic the week of 1/24/11. Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh of Kansas State University addresses his involvement in shaping the 1996 Farm Bill, dubbed “Freedom to Farm” by supporters and “Freedom to Fail” by critics. The outspoken Flinchbaugh maintains that the “Freedom to Farm” concepts are as valid today as they were 15 years ago, but he says the current political, budget and commodity price environment bears little resemblance to the mid-90s. He comments on the major players in the 2012 Farm Bill debate – both on Capitol Hill and in the Obama administration, the ability of traditional farm interests to affect the outcome, the future of Direct Payments and the Average Crop Revenue Election or ACRE program, and the real-world impacts of regulation on farmers and ranchers. If you have a stake in U.S. ag policy, you will want to hear what Flinchbaugh has to say. 
American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman joined us on Open Mic the week of 1/17/10 to reflect on the largest U.S. farm group's 92nd annual meeting. Stallman explains why AFBF wants the concepts of the current Farm Bill safety net written into the 2012 Farm Bill. He talks at length about Farm Bureau's beef with EPA regulation of agriculture and also comments on Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's desire for coexistence to be part of the USDA regulatory process for biotech crop approvals. 
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made a return appearance on Open Mic the week of 1/10/11. At the halfway point of President Obama’s first term, Vilsack gives farmers and ranchers much of the credit for an improving U.S. economy and he suggests that agriculture’s strong balance sheet makes it better equipped to tolerate forthcoming budget cuts to safety net programs. The USDA chief delivers a spirited defense of his controversial “coexistence” strategy, insisting it’s all about making sure that conventional, GM and organic crop growers can prosper and not meant to politicize USDA’s science-based regulation of biotech crops. Turning to the GIPSA rule on livestock and poultry marketing, Vilsack promises to finalize a rule this year that’s as helpful to small producers as possible “without unduly burdening the industry.” 


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