Ag & Food Policy Summit: current climate, new solutions

On March 21, Agri-Pulse held its 2022 Ag & Food Policy Summit in Washington D.C. to “explore the policies and politics under consideration” for the 2023 farm bill “with leading experts, members of Congress and administration officials,” according to the event agenda.

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On March 21, Agri-Pulse held its 2022 Ag & Food Policy Summit in Washington D.C. to “explore the policies and politics under consideration” for the 2023 farm bill “with leading experts, members of Congress and administration officials,” according to the event agenda.


According to its website, “Agri-Pulse is the most trusted farm and policy source in Washington, D.C., providing a balanced perspective on a wide variety of issues including the farm bill, nutrition, trade, food safety, environment, biotechnology, organic, conservation and crop insurance.”


Sara Wyant, founder and editor of Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc. opened the event by talking about the unique challenges of the last few years brought on by the COVID–19 pandemic including but not limited to price volatility and supply chain disruption. She also opened with more recent challenges to the national and international agriculture sector like the upcoming U.S. midterm elections and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 


Future unpredictability and market volatility was certainly at the forefront of many of the subsequent speakers and panels for the day. 


The first speaker was Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Jewel Bronaugh, Ph.D. who spoke on the progress of multiple USDA initiatives. 


Northwest Seaport Alliance


The first topic that Bronaugh discussed was the partnership between the USDA and the Seattle Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) for the purpose of mitigating shipping disruption. The goal is “to enhance access to a 49–acre ‘pop up’ site to accept either dry agricultural or refrigerated containers for temporary storage at NWSA in Seattle to reduce operational hurdles and costs, making it so they can more quickly be loaded on ships at the export terminals,” according to the USDA website. 


This program is part of the White House’s Supply Chain Task Force.


Rural investment 


Bronaugh also expanded upon the Biden–Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which will invest in rural, independent meat processors but will also invest $250,000 into rural fertilizer producers. More specifically, the goal will be to expand broadband internet into these rural areas, so that producers can bring their domestic capacity online.


Social and environmental justice 


Bronuagh highlighted the importance of addressing climate change in the new farm bill as well as put an emphasis on the fact that for policies to benefit the climate they must also work for the producers. 


Bronuagh also discussed the USDA Equity Commission of which she is co-chair. The commission was created out of President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. 


According to the USDA website, the “15–member independent commission is charged with evaluating USDA programs and services and will recommend how we can reduce barriers for accessing them… This will ensure everyone has a fair shot at resources, begin closing the racial wealth gap and addressing long standing inequities in agriculture.”


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