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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Our Open Mic conversation this week is with the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, Congressman Collin Peterson. The Minnesota Democrat’s says he is pleased with the success of approving a new five year farm bill and the USDA is on task with implementation. Peterson says the appropriations process, tax issues and the highway trust fund are top issues before the Congress for the balance of the year, but also shares concerns about EPA's regulatory action and the school lunch program.
Our guest on Open Mic this week is Patti Montague, CEO of the School Nutrition Association. With the debate heating up between First Lady Michelle Obama and House appropriators over what should or should not be required in school lunches, we asked her to provide more insight on SNA’s position. The SNA supports the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act to provide not only healthy meals for students, but also to help them learn better eating habits. But SNA believes schools should be granted flexibility to meet the nutritional needs of students and avoid costly food waste. She explains why SNA supports the spirit of the law, but is concerned about some of the most rigorous regulations for both whole grains and sodium levels in foods.
Our guest this week is Jo Ann Emerson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. After a failed attempt to bring legislative change in carbon emissions through the US Congress in 2009, President Obama is now using the regulatory arm of the EPA to bring about a major reduction in carbon emission from fossil fueled power plants. The move brings no guarantee that other counties around the globe will follow the lead of the United States. Coal-fired power plants provide about 40 percent of the nation's electricity. Opponents of the administration's plan see the move as another attack on coal that ultimately will raise electricity rates, eliminate jobs, and depress the nation's economic recovery.It's estimated that if the 30 percent reduction goal is achieved by 2030, global carbon emissions would be reduced by less than 2 percent. Ms. Emerson says the NRECA is concerned about the environment and points out that they've voluntarily cut carbon emissions in half over the past decade without additional government regulations.
This week’s Open Mic guest is Chris Novak, CEO of the National Pork Board, which provides the producer leadership for the Pork Checkoff. Novak discusses the challenges and opportunities U.S. pork producers have experienced this year, including the loss of more than 8 million piglets from the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV). Even though some pork supply will be made up through the marketing of heavier weight hogs, the dramatic losses – couple with strong domestic and global demand – are resulting in substantially higher prices for producers and consumers. Novak also discusses key demand factors and industry consolidation.
Senator Mike Johanns is well seasoned in international agricultural trade and U.S. farm policy. He served as governor of Nebraska and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture before he was elected to the U.S. Senate. As the 2014 farm legislation goes into effect, he comments on his view of new and existing programs. He also talks about expanding agricultural trade and the factors that limit the ability of negotiators to strike advantageous deals with Asian and European nations.
Congress has finally passed the second authorizing bill to improve inland waterways and ports and streamline the approval process by the Corps of Engineers.
Congressman Rodney Davis from Illinois was a co-sponsor of the bill and a member of the House-Senate conference committee. Davis says WRRDA is primarily a jobs bill and predicts it will shorten the approval process for new projects from fifteen to three years. However, it remains an authorizing bill that does not yet have appropriations to construct or repair any waterway or port.
