This week’s Open Mic guest is Jim Sutter, CEO of the U.S. Soybean Export Council. As trade tensions with China have shifted more of their imports from Brazil, U.S. soybean farmers have successfully diversified their global demand base. Sutter says domestic supplies have higher quality than soybeans from anywhere else in the world and thus prove a better value for customers both in raw beans and in soy products. Sutter says production sustainability is becoming a greater priority in some markets which is a big advantage for U.S. soybean farmers and he sees increases in both global demand and production of oilseeds. 

This week’s Open Mic guest is Duane Highley, CEO of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. This western cooperative is embracing the growing need for electric power among its one million customers and 200,000 square miles of challenging terrain with an “all of the above” approach to power generation. Highley says the cooperative is utilizing advanced battery technology to add wind and solar generation to the base load capacity of the system. At the state and federal level, Highley says rural cooperatives need faster permitting, less regulatory red tape, and better access to funds to assist in generating and delivering power to rural America. 

This week’s Open Mic guest is Mariah Scott, CEO of Rantizo. Drone technology is being utilized at an amazing pace across many aspects of industry and especially agriculture. Spray drones now cover millions of acres of crops and the potential for growth is astronomical. Scott has been instrumental in forming the American Spray Drone Coalition, which is speaking out against legislation that would limit access to drones manufactured by Chinese companies. 

This week’s Open Mic guest is Dr. Tom Zacharias, President of the National Crop Insurance Services. Crop insurance companies have proven effective in providing risk management resources for farmers and ranchers who have suffered losses from various extreme weather events over the past several months. He outlines many of the changes the industry has undergone and how the public-private partnership delivers quicker help for policyholders. Zacharias says companies are financially sound and ready to provide even greater tools for crop, livestock and specialty crop growers for the season ahead. 

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. Farmers continue to help feed the hungry, but the number of Americans who are hungry and food insecure is greater today than during the Covid pandemic. Babineaux-Fontenot says the food lines may have moved back inside the buildings, but the need for food continues to grow as contributions are down and federal commodity donations have decreased. Babineaux-Fontenot says federal nutrition programs should be amended to avoid food “cliffs” and help individuals transition away from assistance programs. 

This week’s Open Mic guest is Ryan Heiniger, Executive Director of the Conservation Technology Information Center and Iowa farmer. He explains why CTIC has high expectations for the Sustainable Agriculture Summit scheduled for this week in Minneapolis. Heiniger discusses government programs and industry interest in helping farmers embrace sustainable agriculture practices. He previews a new "Conservation Connector" which will be introduced this week to help inform producers of assistance to bring cover crops and conservation practices to more acres and reach their 30 million acre goal by 2030. 

This week’s Open Mic guest is Michael McAdams, President of the Advanced Biofuels Association. After an extensive career serving on Capitol Hill, McAdams founded the ABFA in 2006.  The group represents all aspects of the advanced biofuels in the nation from large refiners to major feedstock providers and new technology groups.  McAdams believes government statutes for advanced biofuels are not working with taxpayer incentives to grow the industry. While the nation transitions to new leadership in Washington, a delay in the release of new regulations has the industry operating in a cloud of confusion. McAdams believes Congress needs to act in the Lame Duck Session to provide a window of time to provide clear rules for the industry to follow and meet the growing need for advanced biofuels.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Kip Eideberg, Senior Vice-President Government and Industry Relations for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.  Like the industries they serve, equipment manufacturers are familiar with the cyclical turns in farming, forestry, construction and mining. Eideberg says higher interest rates, a lack of trade agreements and sluggish economies around the globe and in the U.S. are proving challenging for the customers to make capital purchases. Eideberg is hopeful Congress will bring a new farm bill in the Lame Duck session or at least early next year. He says tax policy will also be critical next year as both industry  and customers need amended policy on deductions for research as well as depreciation.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Randy Russell, President of the Russell Group. The race for the White House and leadership of the 119th Congress is coming down to the wire. The majority of polls show very narrow margins, but Russell suggests some trends may be developing as indicators of a Harris or Trump administration. Russell says history could be made in this Congressional election but control of the House of Representatives may not be known for several days after Nov. 5. Disaster assistance will likely be on the Lame Duck agenda and perhaps an economic assistance package for farmers, however, Russell says a new five year farm bill will likely be added to an already stacked legislative agenda in 2025.

This week’s Open Mic guest is Dan Basse, President of AgResource Company. With over 45 years of experience in the global grain market, Basse has seen cyclical swings in commodity prices and farm income many times before. Unlike years gone by, the United States farmer is no longer the primary supplier of grains to the international market and is politically and financially being squeezed out of what were once promising markets. Basse says price is no longer the primary driver of export sales and future administrations may be forced to use strong trade policy to open doors for farmers.  Basse says the renewable fuels industry as well as airlines need regulatory certainty to secure their share of a promising demand base for their crops.

This week’s Open Mic guest is former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson.  The Minnesota Democrat is concerned how misinformation in the campaign for the White House is impacting voters across the nation. Peterson believes there’s still time for the Congress to approve a new farm bill, but admits the results of the election could determine the political will for approving new policy.  Peterson says the respective agriculture committee’s can approve final language of the bill, but will need the leaders of Congress to approve additional funds to pay for needed updates in both farm and nutrition programs.