This week’s Open Mic guest is Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. After an extended tenure of serving his constituents in Utah in the U.S. House of Representatives, Matheson assumed the reins of the NRECA in 2016. Rural residents formed their own electric cooperatives in the 1930’s to bring electric service to their homes and communities. Today, those same member owned organizations serve over half of the land mass in the nation and more than 42-million customers. Matheson speaks to the challenges of meeting growing demand for electric power including electric generation and transmission. He is in favor of renewable energy sources but says the nation needs reliable power generation in the face of growing demand from industry, homes and an influx of electric vehicles. Matheson says the digital divide is real in rural America and the NRECA is working to close the digital gap for the sake of health care, education, precision agriculture and rural development.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Mike Seyfert, President and CEO of the National Grain and Feed Association. Most in the ag industry were relieved that dockworkers were back on the job following an agreement on wages that allowed East Coast and Gulf ports to reopen last week. Seyfert says container shipments are an integral factor in meeting global customers demands for a number of U.S. agricultural products. Prior to his tenure at NGFA, Seyfert had an extensive career on Capitol Hill. He recognizes the challenges of  seeing a farm bill approved by the end of the year, but says the industry needs new policy now.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Representative Mark Alford. The Missouri Republican joins the chorus of other farm state representatives calling for a new farm bill this year. Alford supports the House Agriculture Committee’s farm bill with updated reference prices and improved SNAP benefits. He believes the EPA is overstepping its authority on tail pipe emission standards and regulation of crop pesticides.  Alford says conflict in the Black Sea and Middle East could have extreme consequences on the U.S. economy and American people.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Rob Larew, President of the National Farmers Union. He says the ag economic climate is burdening farmers with high input costs and lower crop commodity prices and some may have difficulty obtaining financing next year. Larew talks about the importance of passing a new farm bill, expanding exports and securing an adequate workforce in county FSA offices.

This week’s Open Mic guest is South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson. Last week hundreds of farmers were in Washington calling on legislators to press forward to approve a new farm bill. Johnson says deadlines drive achievement in Congress and the challenges farmers shared with their elected leaders was more than enough to try and beat the political odds to deliver new risk management tools and nutrition programs. Johnson shares concerns about farmer use of Chinese drone technology. He is critical of the Biden administration’s immigration policy saying rules are too stringent to legally enter the country and too easy to enter illegally.

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Alex Dunn, President and CEO of CropLife America. Dunn joined CLA in March of this year and brings an extensive career in environmental and regulatory leadership to the association, including her previous service as Assistant Administrator for the EPA office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. Dunn and her team are intently monitoring the EPA’s process of developing strategies for pesticides as they relate to endangered species and trying to educate stakeholders about many facets of the industry. She says CLA members are concerned about EPA staffing shortages and discusses the headwinds facing new and existing products from the crop protection industry.