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The battle over control of the Senate could pivot on several Republican farm-state seats, and Democrats’ hopes to expand their House majority could be shaped by whether they can hold onto rural districts they carried in 2018 and pick off some GOP incumbents.

Another key story in the Nov. 3 election is the challenge that House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., faces in a district that President Donald Trump carried by 31 points in 2016. 

Peterson is one of the five most endangered House Democrats this year along with two other House Ag Committee members, Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico and Anthony Brindisi of New York, according to the Cook Political Report.

Some major rating services expect Democrats to win control of the Senate, which Republicans now hold 53-47, but the results are likely to hinge on a handful of states, and the outcome may not be known until Jan. 5, the date for Georgia’s runoff election. 

Republicans are heavily favored to pick up one Democratic seat — polls show Democratic incumbent Doug Jones badly trailing Republican Tommy Tuberville. That means that Democrats will likely need to win four seats to get the 50 they would need to control the Senate if Joe Biden wins the White House. Kamala Harris, as vice president, would break ties in a 50-50 Senate. 

If President Donald Trump wins reelection, Democrats would need to pick up five seats to get the 51 they would need to control the Senate. 

If Biden wins the White House, winning Democratic control of the Senate while maintaining the party’s hold on the House will be critical to his ability to advance the party’s agenda on a range of issues, including health care and climate policy, and could make it easier to reverse some regulatory actions taken by the Trump administration. 

Polls currently indicate Democrats are likely to win GOP seats in Arizona, Colorado and Maine, which would bring the Democratic total to 49, hence the importance of remaining races in states such as Iowa, Montana, Georgia and North Carolina. 

“Republicans are trying to defend many, many seats and there are a lot of challenges,” said Randy Russell, a top agricultural lobbyist and veteran of the Reagan administration. 

Both of Georgia’s GOP senators are up for election this year: David Perdue, cousin of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, and Kelly Loeffler, a member of the Agriculture Committee who was appointed to her seat in January to replace the retired Johnny Isakson. 

Under Georgia law, a runoff election candidate is required unless one candidate gets at least 50% of the vote. Loeffler’s race is virtually certain to end in a runoff because there are 20 candidates, including GOP Rep. Doug Collins, who is battling her for conservative support. Atlanta pastor Raphael Warnock has consolidated the Democratic base and is virtually certain to make the runoff. 

Perdue also could wind up in a runoff if he can’t get 50% of the vote against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. 

Two other senators from major agriculture states, Iowa’s Joni Ernst and Montana’s Steve Daines, are in tight reelection races. 

Heidi Heitkamp, a former North Dakota senator who co-founded the One Country Project, a group aimed at helping Democrats appeal to rural voters, says she thinks Democrats will reduce GOP margins in rural areas this year because of Biden’s appeal to rural voters. That could help not only Biden but also Democratic Senate and House candidates, including Ernst’s challenger, Theresa Greenfield. 

Trump “has to perform as well, if not better than what he did in ’16, and that's not happening. At best, he's at break-even. At the worst case scenario, he's losing 5 to 7% of his (2016) margin,” she said. 

She said Republicans would be in far more trouble had Trump not authorized billions in coronavirus relief payments and trade assistance. "Had that not happened I think you would have seen a huge swing in rural America," she said. 

She said in states such as Montana, Daines' challenger, Gov. Steve Bullock, is popular enough with voters that he will likely outperform Biden in the state. 

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The Cook Political Report and another rating service, Inside Elections, consider the Iowa and Montana races as toss-ups. Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball and the group FiveThirtyEight rate Greenfield as the favorite in Iowa but consider Daines more likely to hold his seat in Montana. Sabato and Inside Elections rate the GOP incumbents as favorites in Georgia, while Cook considers both races toss-ups. 

Recent polls by Emerson College and New York Times/Siena College had Ernst up by four points and one point respectively. In Montana, a New York Times/Siena poll showed Daines up by three points. 

Another race farm groups are watching closely is the battle between GOP Rep. Roger Marshall, a House Ag Committee member, and Democrat Barbara Bollier for the Kansas seat from which Senate Ag Chairman Pat Roberts is retiring. A recent New York Times poll showed Marshall narrowly leading in the race by 46% to 42%. 

As in many other states, including Iowa and Montana, the Democratic candidate has an enormous advantage in fundraising. As of Oct. 14, Bollier had raised $24.3 million, compared to just $5.9 million for Marshall. 

In the House, races for seven of the top 100 agricultural districts, in terms of annual production, are rated as toss-ups by the Cook Political Report. Five of the seats are held by Democrats, including Peterson in Minnesota’s 7th District and three freshman Reps.: TJ Cox in California-21; Abby Finkenauer in Iowa’s 1st District; and Xochitl Torres Small in New Mexico-2. 

The fifth ag district in play is Iowa’s 2nd District where incumbent Dave Loebsack is retiring. 

Two Republican incumbents are in tight races, and both of them are House Ag members: first-term Rep. Jim Hagedorn in Minnesota’s 1st District and Rodney Davis in Illinois-13.

Republicans have long targeted Peterson as one of the easiest House Democrats to pick off, given Trump’s popularity in the district. Russell, who has stayed in touch with Peterson, noted Republicans are trying to carry Minnesota for Trump by pushing up the GOP turnout in the 7th District. That would help Peterson’s challenger, former Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach. “It’s going to be neck and neck. It’s going to go right down to the wire,” said Russell. 

Heitkamp said she thinks Peterson will win, in part because voters won’t want to lose his voice on the Ag Committee. She also argues that older voters are more likely to vote a split ticket. 

Fischbach has argued that the Democrats' environmental agenda would be “detrimental to farmers” because of proposals to move toward electric vehicles. But Peterson argues that he has a stronger record than most Republicans when it comes to regulatory issues. “Farmers know that,” he told Agri-Pulse in September, citing his resistance to permanent conservation easements. 

Here’s a look at other close races: 

California-21 (No. 4 in ag sales: Former GOP Rep. David Valadao, who is trying to win back the Central Valley seat he lost in 2018, comes from a dairy family and his involvement in the business has become an issue in the race. Cox, the incumbent, alleged Valadao was responsible for the dairy going bankrupt and a worker losing his arm in an accident. Valadao said this happened while he was serving in Congress and had recused himself from the farm’s day-to-day operations. 

Valadao has been touting his support for a water infrastructure bill that has benefited the region. Cox has a couple of water infrastructure bills that have passed the House but not moved since. An American Viewpoint poll in September had Valadao up by 11 points. 

Minnesota-1 (No. 10 in ag sales): The race is a rematch from 2018, when Hagedorn defeated Dan Feehan after Tim Walz retired from the southern Minnesota seat and was elected as the state's governor. A KSTP/Survey USA poll conducted earlier this month had Feehan up 47% to 45%. 

Feehan has mostly made his campaign about health care, but on the ag front, has criticized Hagedorn for supporting President Donald Trump’s trade policies. “I will always oppose tariffs that unfairly hurt our farmers,” Feehan said on his campaign website. However, Hagedorn told the Mankato Free Press that Feehan will be just another left “extremist” who will advance the Democrats' climate agenda.

Iowa-1 (No. 12 in ag sales): Finkenauer knocked off GOP incumbent Rod Blum in 2018 and is being challenged this year by Ashley Hinson, a state legislator and former TV anchor. A recent Monmouth poll had Finkenauer up 52% to 44% among registered voters. 

During a September debate, Finkenauer and Hinson differed on what should be in the next economic stimulus bill. Hinson emphasized that it should be targeted and said Congress should be "cognizant of the fact that we don’t have an endless pot of money here to work from." Finkenauer said she thought the original HEROES Act, which the Democratic-controlled House passed in March, went too far; the bill would have cost more than $3 trillion. But she called for providing hazard pay to essential workers and said that funding for state and local governments should be a priority. 

Iowa-2 (No. 18 in ag sales): An Oct. 22 Monmouth poll has Democrat Rita Hart leading Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks 49% to 43% among registered voters in the southeast Iowa district.

Health care and COVID-19 have dominated topics on the campaign. But some farmers are questioning Hart’s support for their industry after she told the Iowa Farmers Union she would consider legislation proposed by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., to tighten regulation of animal feeding operations, according to The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette in July. Hart, who grows corn and soybeans with her husband, said she “agreed with the principles of Booker’s legislation to reform CAFOs but wanted to learn more.” Miller-Meeks supports Trump’s trade policy on China and has the backing of 114 farm leaders, including Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. 

Illinois-13: (No. 55 in ag sales): Davis is in a rematch with Betsy Londrigan, who lost to him by fewer than 2,000 votes in 2018. The district is heavily agricultural but also includes the university towns of Champaign and Urbana. 

Londrigan has been talking a lot about health care, promising to expand coverage and hitting Davis for his opposition to the Affordable Care Act. Davis has touted his support for agriculture. "I’m the 13th most bipartisan member of Congress. I said I would write a farm bill; I wrote two," he said during a recent debate. Davis, first elected in 2012, served on House Ag during development of both the 2014 and 2018 farm bills. 

New Mexico-2 (No. 69 in ag sales): The race is a rematch between Torres Small and Republican Yvette Herrell, who lost the race 51% to 49% in 2018. Trump won the district, which covers the southern half of the state, by 10 points in 2016. Torres Small joined the House Ag Committee in February when Rep. Jeff Van Drew switched parties. 

Torres Small is trying to distance herself from Joe Biden’s climate policy and his promise during the Oct. 22 debate to transition the U.S. economy away from oil. She tweeted that she disagreed with Biden: “Energy is part of the backbone of New Mexico’s economy. We need to work together to promote responsible energy production and stop climate change, not demonize a single industry.”

For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.

With Joe Biden consistently leading President Donald Trump in the polls, speculation is growing in Washington about who could get key Cabinet and staff positions, including jobs that could have a far-reaching impact on U.S. agriculture and trade policy. 

Biden's advisers are keeping information about his transition plans close to the vest, but Agri-Pulse reached out to sources and took a look at reporting from other outlets to get an idea of who’s being discussed in connection with some of those high-profile openings. 

"My sense is that the transition is trying to be as hermetically sealed as possible in the final days so as not to distract from the main event on Tuesday," said one Obama administration veteran close to the campaign, when asked about Biden’s transition plans for USDA.

Ferd Hoefner, senior strategic adviser at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition said of the Biden team, “They are being very good about keeping things close to the vest.”

Former Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has been advising Biden, said he had “no idea who might be in line” when asked whether he could share any thoughts on the next leader of the nearly-100,000 person Department of Agriculture.

“Anyone providing you names would be purely speculating,” he added, noting he is not a part of the transition team and doesn’t know what discussions have taken place, if any.

Former North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, however, says Vilsack himself will play a “major role” in determining who gets key agriculture positions and in advancing a rural policy agenda. “He is a very, very trusted adviser” to Biden, she tells Agri-Pulse.

Asked if she would be interested in USDA, she said she is "myopically focused on Nov. 3.” On there being little said publicly about the transition, she says, “I’m sure there are some people throwing some sharp elbows … but at the end of the day everyone is so heavily focused on just getting out the vote and winning the election.”

A Biden-Harris transition team spokesperson said the team “is not making any personnel decisions pre-election.”

Biden has publicly stated his intention to assemble a cabinet diverse in both ideology and background, so any cabinet choices would likely have to meet a range of criteria and would be subject to scrutiny and vulnerable to criticism from different constituencies within the Democratic. 

Given Biden’s diversity pledge, factors such as gender, race and even age come into play. “The big question is payback for the black and youth and women vote that gets him into the White House,” said Pat Parenteau, an environmental law professor at Vermont Law School, former EPA regional counsel and commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

Joe Maxwell, head of Family Farm Action Alliance, echoes Parenteau, saying the Biden camp needs to consider USDA’s “historic discrimination” against black farmers in choosing a new ag secretary. His group opposes Heitkamp but says Representatives Marcia Fudge of Ohio and Chellie Pingree of Maine both fit their criteria, which include attacking the increasing consolidation in U.S. agriculture, especially in the meat sector.

Maxwell also said his group appreciates being able to share its views with the transition team, led by former U.S. Sen. Ted Kaufman, and including United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero.

Heitkamp’s name certainly comes up a lot in discussions about a new agriculture secretary. After losing her bid for reelection after one term in 2018, she founded the One Country Project in 2017 and leads it with former Indiana Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly. The group “is reengaging with rural Americans, serving as a clearinghouse of research and information … and working to ensure leaders regain trust by fighting for these communities.”

Heitkamp also was North Dakota’s attorney general from 1992 to 2000 and state tax commissioner from 1986 to 1992. She endorsed Biden in March.

Another name that comes up frequently is Krysta Harden, who served as Vilsack’s deputy from 2013-2016, but also was his chief of staff and assistant secretary for congressional relations. Harden is currently executive vice president of global environmental strategy for Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff, as well as chief operating officer of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, where Vilsack is the CEO.

Before taking her current post, Harden spent three years as senior vice president, external affairs, and chief sustainability officer for Corteva Agriscience, the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont. During the same period, she was DuPont’s vice president of public policy and chief sustainability officer. She also was CEO of the National Association of Conservation Districts from 2004-2009.

Chellie Pingree also has been mentioned. The Maine congressional representative and House Agriculture Committee member has advocated “for reforming federal policy to better support the diverse range of American agriculture — including sustainable, organic, and locally focused farming — as well as to reduce food waste,” according to her congressional website. She’s also not averse to reaching across the aisle, as she did recently by introducing a bill with Nebraska Republican Jeff Fortenberry to expand options for small meat and poultry processors.

Kathleen Merrigan, an Obama administration veteran as deputy secretary at USDA, is currently a professor with Arizona State University and executive director of its Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems. As deputy secretary, she “created and led the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative to support local food systems; was a key architect of first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, and made history as the first woman to chair the Ministerial Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations,” according to her online biography.

Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio, now in her sixth term in Congress, chairs House Ag's nutrition and oversight subcommittee and has been a fierce critic of the Trump administration’s attempts to tighten eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. She also has said the administration’s highly touted Farmers to Families Food Box program left some states underserved. “This program was meant to help people, but not only am I afraid that isn’t happening fast enough, I worry USDA isn’t taking the operation of this program seriously enough to ensure it can happen at all,” she said following a July hearing on the program. If approved as ag secretary, Fudge would be the first African American woman in that role.

Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois, now in her fourth term in Congress, “is the only member of elected Democratic House Leadership from the Midwest,” her website notes. She has criticized the Trump administration’s trade policy and sought COVID relief aid for biofuel producers, as a member of the House’s biofuels caucus. She is a rarity in Congress: a former award-winning journalist. She represents a district Trump barely won in 2016. Republicans have targeted her race this year. 

Michael Scuse is now secretary of the Delaware Department of Agriculture and also is a veteran of the ag department as undersecretary of agriculture for farm and foreign agricultural services. He also was acting deputy secretary and acting secretary of agriculture for a short period of time in the closing days of the Obama administration after Vilsack departed.

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Other names mentioned for USDA include Nikki Fried, Florida’s commissioner of agriculture, Rep. Sanford Bishop of Georgia, chairman of the Agriculture Committee’s subcommittee on agriculture, rural development, FDA and related agencies, and Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture for nine years, who also is a former chief of staff to Tom Vilsack at USDA.

Environmental Protection Agency

A name that gets mentioned a lot is Mary Nichols, head of the California Air Resources Board. Nichols has pioneered the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which “incorporates market instruments [but] relies primarily on performance-based regulatory actions” to achieve its goals. Her criticism of the Renewable Fuel Standard was concerning enough to RFS advocates that just a conversation between Nichols and the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016 led the Clinton campaign to “immediately reject any assertions that the candidate wants to repeal the RFS,” Politico reported four years ago. Significantly, Nichols also served as EPA assistant administrator of air and radiation during the Clinton Administration.

Heather McTeer Toney, senior director at Moms Clean Air Force and a regional administrator at EPA during the Obama administration, is another candidate to head EPA. Like Nichols, she has EPA experience, a definite plus for a job where you need to “hit the ground running,” as former administrator Carol Browner told E&E News. Another plus: Biden has made environmental justice a key priority, and Toney is African American. She was the first woman and first African American to serve as mayor of Greenville, Miss.   

Jay Inslee, governor of Washington, who ran for president on essentially one issue — climate change — is another potential candidate and would, like Nichols, be a natural fit given Biden’s ambitious climate goals. Inslee has faced opposition from the ag community in his state to a proposal for a low-carbon fuel standard.

On the trade front, Agri-Pulse also is hearing talk of Wisconsin Rep. Ron Kind, a member of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on trade, and Darci Vetter, a former chief ag negotiator in the U.S. Trade Representative's office during the Obama administration. Vetter also is being mentioned as a possible ag secretary or undersecretary for trade at the USDA.

Philip Brasher and Bill Tomson contributed to this report.

For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.

The Federal Communications Commission established a $9 billion 5G fund Tuesday to improve mobile wireless access in rural America, with up to $1 billion set aside to improve precision agriculture technology.

According to the FCC, the 5G fund will distribute the money over the next 10 years through multi-round reverse auctions that will take place in two phases.

Phase I will provide $8 billion to areas lacking unsubsidized 4G LTE or 5G mobile broadband. About $680 million will be specifically set aside for bidders offering to serve Tribal lands. 

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Mike O’Reilly and Brendan Carr voted in favor of adopting the order.

Even though the commission won’t immediately conduct the phase one auction for the 5G fund, Pai said it is important those rules are established today.

“First, they provide certainty for stakeholders and provide a clear path to the 5G phase one auction,” he said during the meeting. “Second, we adopt broad public interest obligations that will require carriers currently receiving frozen legacy support, to begin spending that support to deploy 5G capable networks in their service areas beginning next year.”

Phase II will award at least $1 billion, including any unawarded funds in Phase I, to providers who “specifically target the deployment of technologically innovative 5G networks that facilitate precision agriculture.”

Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Jessica Rosenworcel voted to move forward, but not without expressing concerns.

“We also set aside funds for precision agriculture projects. What data supports the amount selected? How soon will this effort work in concert with the initial phase of 5G support that we commit to today and what facts actually support that budget?” Rosenworcel asked at the meeting.

She argued answers are less than clear because so many of the choices the FCC has made are not grounded in data. While she supports the decision to commit to a wireless future, she said more humility would serve the commission well.

 “The framework we have is sound but the details would benefit from more data-gathering before we proceed, so I think this effort needs some work if we want to make sure wireless communities ... truly sees the benefit of 5G wireless,” she said.

In a statement, NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association CEO Shirley Bloomfield said rural consumers and those traveling through rural America will benefit from 5G service.

“(It) promises not only higher speeds but can help empower precision agriculture services for farms and ranches and increased efficiencies for ranching, oil and gas production and sustainable energy production for solar farms, wind farms, and hydraulics,” she said.

Bloomfield also said NTCA looks forward to working with the FCC on creating accurate maps to identify areas eligible for support and the transition of support for small, rural legacy providers.

Commissioners adopted “option B” in the order, which refers to an option in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking the commission adopted April 23. Pai said this means the phase one auction will begin after FCC develops precise granular broadband maps through its Digital Opportunity Data Collection proceeding. 

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But Pai said in order to start the data collection, the commission needs money from Congress, which he said FCC flagged as a concern almost 500 days ago.

"We are legally prohibited by Congress because of the Broadband Data Act from relying on the only source of funding we had to conduct this operation," he told reporters. The Broadband Data Act requires FCC to use "newly-created maps" when making new awards of broadband funding. "In particular, I believe it was $65 million just for startup costs in the first year alone, which Congress has not given us," Pai said.

FCC said networks must provide 5G mobile broadband at speeds of a least 35/3 Mbps. Requirements also mandate interim deployment milestones beginning at year three and a final deployment milestone at the end of year six.

Pai said the commission should look to the future in that rural areas have an even footing with their urban counterparts for access to 5G.

“These networks will bring rural Americans the benefits like increased accessed to healthcare, education, and precision agriculture that are promised by the improved speed, latency, and security of 5G,” Pai noted.

The Federal Communications Commission also unanimously voted Tuesday to amend its rules governing unlicensed wireless services provided over spectrum in the television broadcasting bands also known as TV white spaces.  

According to FCC, the amended rules will allow for the usage of spectrum to delivery broadband services in rural areas and underserved communities.

The Commission notes it also protects broadcast television stations and other licensed services from interference.

Connect Americans Now, a coalition of over 275 organizations and companies from agriculture to healthcare, pushed for FCC to update TVWS rules.

“CAN has been a longtime advocate for updated TVWS rules that will unleash the full potential of this technology as a critical tool to help eliminate the broadband gap,” CAN Executive Director Richard Cullen said in a statement.

FCC also cleared Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking look into whether or not to modifying its rules to permit the use of terrain-based models to determine available TV channels for white space devices.

For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council is investing big in Southeast Asia as demand for everything from whey to lactose is rising fast and providing new overseas profits for U.S. farmers who are increasingly dependent on exports.

The U.S. shipped 395,055 metric tons of dairy products to the region in the first eight months of the year, a 45% increase from the same time frame a year ago, and that’s just a continuation of the rise over the past several years, according to data collected by the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

The U.S. exported $928 million worth of dairy products to Southeast Asia in 2019, nearly quadruple the $242 million of sales to the region just two years earlier. That, together with the potential for even more growth in a swiftly urbanizing population in Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines and other nearby countries is why USDEC is building up its resources there, USDEC President and CEO Tom Vilsack told Agri-Pulse in an interview.

“This is a place of improving economies and rising middle classes and hundreds of millions of new consumers, which creates opportunity for more protein consumption,” Vilsack said. “In the last couple years, we made the decision to put some roots down in Southeast Asia, which shows we are here for the long haul — we’re here for a permanent place in the market.”

And that’s why USDEC has established its first new overseas facility in 25 years in Singapore. The U.S. Center for Dairy Excellence, paid for by national, state and regional checkoff funds, was opened up on Sept. 21 to act as a hub for marketing and sales and education in Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

“We’ve added more people,” Vilsack said. “We’ve added more promotions. We’ve added more partnerships and now we have launched the Center for Dairy Excellence. … It’s allowing us to showcase the U.S. dairy industry and tell the story of its ability, safety and ample supply by bringing people into this facility to utilize our test kitchen and our sensory panel system so that we can show the versatility of various cheeses and ingredients from U.S. dairy.”

Singapore wasn’t just chosen as a hub because it’s easy to get to from most locations in the region, but also because it's an industrial hub that U.S. whey and other commodities can flow through to reach buyers in several countries.

“Essentially, Singapore is the food hub of Southeast Asia, so it makes sense to locate the Center for Dairy Excellence,” Vilsack said.

And what he’s talking about is tariffs and non-tariff barriers. It’s a lot easier for a U.S. supplier to export to Singapore and then have that product shipped to Indonesia than it would be to just ship straight to Indonesia.

Vietnam recently cut tariffs on U.S. dairy and that helps, Vilsack said, but what would help even more is a free trade agreement — such as what the Obama administration negotiated in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That Pacific Rim pact that included Vietnam came to realization, but without the U.S because President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal during his first month in office.

But New Zealand, a dairy competitor, is in the TPP and does have an advantage over the U.S. because the two countries have stronger trade ties. Still, U.S. dairy exports to Vietnam are on the rise. The U.S. sold $139 million worth of dairy products to Vietnamese buyers in the first eight months of the year, a 36% increase from the same time frame in 2019, according to USDA data. The increase is even more substantial with the Philippines, which purchased $280 million worth of U.S. dairy products from January through August. That’s a 61% increase from the $174 million in Philippine imports in the first eight months of last year.

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“Southeast Asia is important to U.S. dairy farmers because it provides a growing outlet for their milk. Today, the milk from 1 out of 7 tankers leaving American farms ends up in products and ingredients sold beyond our borders,” according to USDEC. “About one day’s worth of monthly production of U.S. milk currently goes to Southeast Asia.”

Mexico still imports the most dairy from the U.S. by value, and that’s primarily because the country buys a lot of value-added cheese. But the volume of U.S. exports to Southeast Asia is outpacing Mexico, primarily because as Vietnam and other countries urbanize, their populations want breakfast bars, protein shakes and other convenient food sources that all contain dairy products.

“When you have a younger, urbanized population, which is what you have in Southeast Asia, these are people who aren’t going to sit down for a full breakfast,” Vilsack said. “They’ll take a bar and consume it on the way to work. They’ll have a protein shake for lunch. All of those products contain dairy ingredients.”

That doesn’t mean USDEC is not looking to increase cheese sales to Southeast Asia. It is, and the group considers the Center for Dairy Excellence as key to getting that done.

“We’re working with outlets like Costco and other major retailers in many of these countries to essentially showcase U.S. cheese,” Vilsack said.

USDEC is counting on the center — which will also be used as a culinary institute to teach up-and-coming chefs to cook with U.S. cheese — to help push demand in the region for U.S. dairy by another $100 million over the next five years.

For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.

Rail carriers are anticipating a strong demand for grain shipments this fall as China buys more corn and soybeans, but harvest pace is also surpassing five-year averages, increasing the concern for potential bottlenecks.

Producers are smashing records harvesting corn and soybeans this year. As of Monday, USDA figures showed 72% of the nation’s corn crop was harvested, well ahead of the five-year average of 56%. Soybean harvest is also ahead of schedule; producers have harvested 83% of that crop, which surpasses the five-year average of 73%.

According to weekly data from the American Association of Railroads, grain carloads for the week ending Oct. 17 increased 4,920 carloads to a total of 25,547 carloads compared to the same time a year ago. That is a 23% increase from 2019.

National Grain and Feed Association President Randy Gordon told Agri-Pulse he is starting to see slowdowns in railcar service in certain areas.

“Generally, overall, the service is still acceptable in most regions, but we’re starting to see slippage in parts of the Southeast with one of the class one railroads,” Gordon said. He also noted there is at least one class one railroad — the classification given to the seven largest carriers in the country —indicating a “bit of a lag” in the west as well.

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Increased ag purchases from China will also put pressure on the rail service, Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., said, and railroads need to make sure they are meeting demand from shippers the best they can.

"The purchases from China are robust, and that is going to mean that a lot of South Dakota product wants to move to the (Pacific Northwest) and rail plays a critical role in that," Johnson told Agri-Pulse. He said there is a lot of grain in storage in South Dakota, and there aren't a lot of other places for it to go if the rail can't carry it. According to USDA as of Monday, corn harvest in the state is at 79%, well above the 5-year average of 37%.

Gordon notes the slippage in service is due to railroads furloughing workers due to the coronavirus, but he said service issues vary by railroad company.

In testimony last week before the Senate Commerce Committee, he relayed an email from a flour miller “indicating that one railroad is about three to four weeks behind on just getting empty cars positioned to load to their mill.”

However, he said so far that situation is an outlier. Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, agrees with Gordon that service has been mostly acceptable.

Steenhoek told Agri-Pulse "service levels overall have been good" but he continues to hear from a number of exporters and grain handlers about high rail rates and service performance by rail companies not always being reliable.

“Overall, we're seeing really good volumes being moved but you do hear some of these grain handlers and exports that plan to have a service on a particular day and all of a sudden that service doesn’t occur,” Steenhoek said.

Scott Strickland, general manager of Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. in Hennepin, Ill., tells Agri-Pulse it seems like the rail pace is being maintained as he ships grain across the southern U.S.

 “We continue to see demand in the Southeast and demand in the Southwest, but due to opportunities that are available ... we continue to see rail capacity keep pace with that activity,” Strickland said.

At least where he is located, he said finding railcars to ship grain has not been an inhibitor so far this harvest season.

Strickland said last year, harvest was a lot slower because of wet conditions. But this year, the warmer hot and dry weather has supported harvest pace.

“I’ve seen a very dry, very fast harvest up until really last week when moisture started to come in,” he said.

Speaking at the Commerce Committee hearing last week, American Association of Railroads President and CEO Ian Jefferies said ag shipments continue to be one of the bright spots in American rail traffic.

“It’s been fairly strong all year but certainly as we’re getting into a peak type season, we anticipate continually increasing volumes,” he said. When it comes to rail service being on time, he said constant communication with customers is key.

“Customers and carriers need to be in constant communication to be able to effectively forecast to the best of their ability when these shipments need to go, and I think we’re seeing that,” Jefferies said. He noted as “hiccups pop up,” communications allow those to be addressed quickly.

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A major meatpacker plans to introduce new technology into one of its facilities to pilot the use of vision systems and machine learning in beef carcass inspection.

Tyson will deploy the technology at its Holcomb, Kansas, plant in January after originally petitioning USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service for a waiver to try out the new protocols in March 2019.

Barb Masters, Tyson’s vice president of regulatory policy, says the technology will allow for speedier feedback to beef producers providing animals to the facility.

“What we hope to do with this technology is really provide some transparency to our producers to those that want to have really good insight,” she said. “It’s almost like a post-mortem exam on every animal if they wanted that level of detail.”

Jennifer Williams, Tyson’s vice president of food safety and quality assurance fresh meats division, noted current restrictions on photos and videos of USDA inspectors at work wouldn’t be in place under the new project framework, so “there are no restrictions about how many pictures we can and cannot take and whose arm is in the picture, so to speak.”

While the project would include additional responsibilities for Tyson team members at the facility, FSIS inspectors would retain complete inspection and food safety oversight throughout the plant, including total inspection of all beef carcasses and parts. Williams said maintained USDA presence as well as practices on the part of Tysons employees should assure confidence in the plan’s food safety outcomes.

 “We don’t have a business unless consumers love their beef product, want more, and feel good about it,” she said.

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Students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities will be eligible for a new internship stipend program being created by the Farm Credit Council.

On Tuesday, the group announced the Launching Leaders program, which will offer a $3,500 stipend — offered in addition to other wages that might be received through the internship — to HBCU students or recent graduates who intern with a Farm Credit institution across the country.

Farm Credit Council President and CEO Todd Van Hoose pointed out in a statement internships “often come with a whole range of financial burdens like travel, rent and a professional wardrobe. The Launching Leaders program will help offset those costs for HBCU students. HBCU students interested in financial services, IT, marketing and more will find great career opportunities at Farm Credit.”

Farm Credit will also host a job fair specifically for HBCU students Thursday.

The move comes as ag companies reassess their diversity efforts following racial tumult earlier this year. The National Farmers Union in September announced a memorandum of understanding with the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) that included a pledge to “motivate and prepare young adults of all racial ethnic groups to pursue careers in agriculture, food, fiber and natural resources systems.” The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture also issued an MOU with MANRRS. Florida A&M University recently launched a collegiate Farm Bureau chapter, joining North Carolina A&T in the ranks of HBCUs with such an affiliation.

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A major international grain handler and one of the world’s leading beef producers have announced regulatory approval and the formal launch of a new plant-based food venture.

ADM and Marfrig this week launched the creation of PlantPlus Foods, which will “offer a wide range of finished plant-based food products across North and South America,” the companies said in a joint release. The new venture will be based in Chicago.

Marfrig, which is the world’s largest beef patty producer, owns 70% of the company and will be responsible for finished production and distribution. ADM owns the other 30% and will supply technical expertise, application development, and an array of plant-based ingredients.

Marcos Molina, Marfrig’s founder and chairman, said PlantPlus Foods is the result of two companies “that had a common vision to create a new venture offering a complete portfolio of delicious, sustainable plant-based foods for consumers across the Western Hemisphere.” Juan Luciano, ADM’s chairman and CEO, offered similar comments, saying today’s consumer is “demanding food that is good for the environment, for the body, for the mind, and for the development of a better you — while still being delicious.”

Other protein sector groups have also invested in plant or cell-based meat ventures, including Tyson’s Raised and Rooted brand of plant-based products and a similar product line from Cargill. In a release earlier this year, Cargill estimated global protein demand will grow 70% in the next 30 years.

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The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking comments on a proposed interim registration review decision for the herbicide paraquat that includes new safety requirements.

Among them: A prohibition on aerial application except for cotton desiccation as well as on pressurized handgun and backpack sprayer application methods, a limit on the maximum rate for alfalfa to one pound of active ingredient per acre, and a requirement that cabs be enclosed if the area treated in a 24-hour period is more than 80 acres.

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The agency will accept comments on the proposal through Dec. 22.

EPA also has released interim registration review decisions for 13 pyrethroids that include exceptions to requirements for expanded 25-foot vegetative filter strips (VFS’s) when applying the insecticides near water. Responding to concerns raised by the industry and USDA, the agency said application areas of 10 acres or less would qualify for 15-foot strips instead of proposed 25-foot strips, and western irrigated agriculture would be exempt if a sediment control basin is present.

Responding to comments on last year’s ecological risk mitigation proposal, the agency said small-scale operations “may be disproportionately impacted by an expanded 25-foot VFS requirement.”

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Mexican fast-casual chain Chipotle has launched a new feature on its digital ordering platforms to give customers a “sustainability impact tracker” of their meals.

The tracker will use key metrics to create a “Real Foodprint” score that compares “Chipotle's ingredients and sourcing standards to an industry average, and the metrics provide a snapshot of computed environmental savings across categories,” the company said in a release.

Caitlin Leibert, Chipotle’s head of sustainability, said the new tool demonstrates “the impact of our sourcing practices through data computed based on the ingredients in our guests' orders.” The tool also “holds us accountable to improve our practices and source more sustainably over time.”

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The chain, which has more than 2,700 locations worldwide, has long marketed based on the ingredients it uses in the production of its burritos, tacos, and other menu items, frequently boasting about their interpretation of superior sourcing and products.

The five metrics — less carbon in the atmosphere, gallons of water saved, improved soil health, organic land supported, and antibiotics avoided — are scored for all 53 of Chipotle’s ingredients. The company says the tracker will display “the difference between average data for each ingredient based on Chipotle’s sourcing standards and conventional, industry average standards.”

Earlier this month, a similar effort was announced that would flag “climate-friendly” dishes on restaurant menus that are produced in line with the goals necessary to meet the Paris Climate Accords. Panera Bread is the first company that used “Cool Food Meals” badges on its digital menus.

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Curt Hudnutt has been tapped as the new president and chief executive officer of American AgCredit. He succeeds Byron Enix who has been with the Farm Credit System for 37 years, the past seven of which he served as president and CEO. Hudnutt previously served as head of rural banking for North America at Rabo Agrifinance.

Roland Fumasi will lead Rabobank’s RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness team in North America. Fumasi joined Rabobank as an analyst in 2014, and in 2017 was appointed manager of the Fresno, Calif., RaboResearch team. He most recently served as a senior fresh produce and tree nut analyst. Before joining Rabobank, Fumasi worked with Utility Fleet Sales Ltd., as the vice president of marketing and finance.

Julie Busse has been promoted to communications director at the National Corn Growers Association. Busse previously was the senior communications manager. She has been with NCGA for three years after stops at Osborn Barr, Pioneer and the RFD Illinois radio network.

Dave Coggins, executive vice president and chief banking officer at Investors Community Bank, has been named vice chair of the American Bankers Association Ag and Rural Bankers Committee. Coggins has been with Investors Community Bank since 2009 and has over 40 years of lending and leadership experience.

The Produce Marketing Association has selected six new industry leaders to sit on its board of directors. The new members are as follows: Alan Aguirre Ibarra, CEO of Grupo Alta and Divine Flavor LLC; Amelie Aust, Co-CEO and second-generation owner at Fall Creek; Nikki Cossio, founder and CEO of Measure to Improve; Amy Gates, former president of Frontera Produce of Edinburg, Texas; Daniel Mathieson, chief executive of Zespri; and Jim Richter, president and CEO of Amerifresh in Scottsdale, Ariz. The PMA Board will be led by chair Dwight Ferguson, president and CEO of Naturipe Farms. 

Trevor Suslow has decided to step down from his full-time duties as vice president of produce safety at the Produce Marketing Association. He will remain engaged with PMA on a part-time basis and will also return to UC Davis as an emeritus extension research specialist. Suslow has been with the organization for the past two years. Suslow’s last day of full-time employment at PMA will be Dec. 1., and a search will begin to identify Suslow’s replacement in the coming weeks. 

After 45 years in the Farm Credit System, Larry Doyle, CEO of the Farm Credit Bank of Texas (FCBT), has announced his retirement. Doyle has been with the bank for 17 years. Amie Pala, the bank’s current CFO, will succeed Doyle on Jan. 1. Pala has served as FCBT CFO for 10 years following 15 years as vice president and treasurer of the bank. Doyle will remain CEO until Dec. 31 to help support the transition to Pala and then he will move into a strategic consulting role through the first quarter of 2021.

Louisa Parker-Smith has been named director of global sustainability, a newly created position, for AGCO. Parker-Smith joined AGCO in 2012 as manager of Institutional Funding and Stakeholder Relations. She moves to her new role after serving as the global human resources business partner for several of AGCO's business operations. 

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has tapped Julie Scheck Freigang as the new chief information officer and vice president. Before joining CF, Freigang was vice president and chief information officer at Franklin Electric.

FarmlandFinder Inc. has selected Jamey Grafing as the new chief commercial officer. Bringing 14 years of experience working in the Farm Credit System, Grafing most recently was the senior vice president at the Farm Credit System Commercial Finance Group in Minneapolis.

Megan Nelson has left the American Farm Bureau Federation where she worked as an economic analyst focused on rural and global development, infrastructure, and tax issues. She has taken a new job with Ardent Eagle Solutions as a trade research analyst/evaluator.

Tyler Davis has left the Arizona Farm Bureau where he worked as the government relations manager.

The Illinois Soybean Association has hired four new members to its staff. Betsy Osman is now content manager for ISA. She was previously director of marketing for Brinkoetter Realtors in Decatur, Ill. Claire Weinzierl has been hired as ISA’s communications manager. She comes from the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) where she was communications and outreach specialist. Jill Parrent fills the job of communications coordinator. Parrent recently graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture and life sciences education-communications. Parrent most recently coordinated special events for a large-scale agritourism operation in Iowa. Melissa Kennedy is the new executive assistant and brings two decades of experience previously working for the Illinois Farm Bureau.

The Great Plains Institute has added Deidre Sanders to its board of directors. She brings 20 years of experience in energy policy related to environmental justice, equity, and climate change.   Most recently, Sanders launched her own consulting firm, ArkSpring Consulting, where she is founder and principal. She has previous experience working as a policy director at East Bay Community Energy Authority and as environmental justice and policy manager at Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

USDA has appointed 13 members, 13 alternate members, and one adviser to serve on The Cotton Board. The newly appointed members are: Ben Guthrie, La.; and Thomas Hayes III, Miss. The newly appointed alternate members are: Matthew Cauzza, Calif.; Justin Cave, Texas; and Susanne St. Onge-Simpson, Calif. Reappointed members are: Pace Hindsley, Ark.; Dustin Mancebo, Calif.; David Dunlow, N.C.; Bryan Patterson, Texas; Debra Barrett, Texas; Sigi Valverde, Texas; Chuck Ward, N.C.; Scott Johnson, Calif.; Akiko Inui, N.Y.; Laurie Sutandar, Texas; and Debi Gregg, Calif. Reappointed alternate members are: Rafe Banks, Ark.; Rebecca Thom, La.; Patrick Johnson, Miss.; Kent Smith, N.C.; Michael Popp, Texas; Jon Jones, Texas; James McKinnon, N.Y.; Dean Draughn, Md.; Barbara Buhr, Conn.; and Stefanie Rotta, Mich. Jennifer Pisula, Del., has been appointed to serve in an importer alternate position and Willie Scott, Ga., was appointed to an adviser position term.

USDA has appointed eight new farmers to serve on the United Soybean Board. The newly appointed farmer-leaders include: Sam Butler, Ala.; AJ Hood, Ark.; Timothy Bardole, Iowa; Ryan Dale Bivens, Ky.; Laurie Isley, Mich.; Greg Greving, Neb.; Fitzhugh L. Bethea III, S.C.; and Todd J. Hanten, S.D.

Steven L. Kopperud, former journalist and lobbyist who created a platform for livestock and poultry industries to resist “animal rights” and vegetarian critics, died unexpectedly Oct. 19. He was 69. He began his career as a journalist reporting for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and San Diego Union-Tribune and then joined Miller Publishing Company. He made his way out to D.C. to write for the Feedstuffs newspaper, and later became a bureau chief for the American Broadcasting Company. Kopperud then moved to the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) in the 1980s where he was the senior vice president and lead lobbyist. He also founded the Animal Industry Foundation, now known as the Animal Agriculture Alliance. In 2000, he joined Policy Directions, a government affairs consulting firm representing AFIA and a range of other food and agriculture interests. Sixteen years later, he launched his own firm, SLK Strategies, with clients including Fortune 500 companies and national trade associations. A prolific blogger and writer, Kopperud also spread his defense of animal agriculture and food technology internationally, speaking in Europe, Canada, China, Australia and Latin America. He described his career for Agri-Pulse in 2018 in a “Meet the Farm Hand” video interview.

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