The panel represented a wide variety of view points, covering the legal, policy, and practical sides of water rights and policy. Dan Tarlock, university distinguished professor emeritus and professor of law emeritus at Chicago-Kent College of Law, presented the legal precedent influencing current policy, with a focus on water rights as enacted east of the Missouri River. He was followed by Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy. She focused on how water rights and policies are expressed in the Colorado Basin, which impacts five million acres of agriculture across seven states. Round Table Fellow Matt Moreland, owner of Moreland Farms, gave a boots-on-the-ground perspective, discussing how water rights play out on his property in Oklahoma.

The panel was moderated by Farm Foundation Round Table Honorary Life Fellow Richard Morrison, manager of RNM Enterprises.

The presentation materials are linked below.

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Approaching the five-year deadline for reauthorizing a farm bill offers a moment for review, as well as a chance to speculate on the potential paths for a new farm bill. Among many other things, history teaches that Congress very rarely produces revolutionary changes in policy and that farm bills are no exception. Twenty-two legislative enactments since 1933 can arguably be considered farm bills, but only three can be considered to have produced revolutionary changes; a fourth farm bill comes close.

This report briefly reviews farm bill history to highlight these revolutionary bills and seeks to think through what a revolutionary farm bill in 2023 could include. Congress could take many paths to enact a revolutionary farm bill; out of necessity, this report selects a single path to highlight how climate change could revolutionize a farm bill.

The post Could Climate Change Produce a Revolutionary 2023 Farm Bill? appeared first on Farm Foundation.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has created increased pressure on global food systems, limiting supply and driving up prices of many key foodstuffs. However, pressure on global food systems was already significant, driven by rising demand and production challenges around the world.

This global challenge requires local solutions, with food producers being called on to find sustainable ways to meet growing global demand. This webinar explored current dynamics within the global food system and considered what policy solutions could be implemented in Canada, the United States and around the world.

This discussion was moderated by Farm Foundation President and CEO, Shari Rogge-Fidler. Lee Ann Jackson, Agro-food Trade and Markets head of division, OECD, provided an opening presentation, followed by a panel discussion featuring:

Kip Tom
Former US  United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture,
Chief of the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome from 2019 to 2021,
Managing member, Tom Farms, and Farm Foundation Round Table Fellow

Rick White
President and CEO, Canadian Canola Growers Association,
Chair, International Agri-Food Network

Murad Al-Katib
President and CEO, AGT Foods

This webinar builds on collaboration between the Farm Foundation and CAPI, including the Trade and Climate Change conference in 2021, Trade and the Environment (2020), and Trade in an Increasingly Chaotic World (2019).

The webinar was recorded and may be viewed at the link below.

The post CAPI Dialogue on Agriculture and Food Security: Global Challenges and Local Solutions appeared first on Farm Foundation.

I often claim, honestly, that I am lucky to have the most interesting law practice one could have. Case in point: a few weeks ago, I visited a biology lab where I ogled petri dishes containing plants that have been engineered to produce proteins that are ordinarily derived from animals—a novel source of a key food ingredient that has the potential to revolutionize dairy alternatives. Every day I work with product developers like that one, who are using everything from artificial intelligence to zinc fingers to add to the already incredible toolbox potentially available to our farmers and ranchers, such as salmon that can be farmed in domestic land‐based facilities, soil microbes that can decrease the use of synthetic nitrogen, urban farm facilities, and better‐tasting fruits and vegetables. All have a laudable goal: to improve the way we produce food, fuel, fiber, and other products vital to our lives, both in the United States and globally.

It’s a truly remarkable time to be working in this field. Record amounts of capital are being invested in the agriculture sector—particularly in ventures operating at the intersection of agriculture and technology, sometimes referred to as “AgTech.” One source has estimated that venture capital firms invested $10.5 billion across 751 deals in AgTech startups during 2021, an increase in deal value of more than 58 percent over 2020. This also means there are opportunities to convene with developers, investors, and researchers at conferences and summits, particularly now that we are able to get back to doing some of that convening in person. As we face incredible challenges, the future is bright and full of solutions.

As I practice at the intersection of law and regulation, thinking about the future of our food and agriculture system always leads me to contemplate our regulatory system and the role it plays in advancing innovation. A significant part of my day‐to‐day work is spent working with developers to identify, understand, and secure a regulatory pathway for the newest of these tools so that products can get to market. I also work with trade associations and industry coalitions on ensuring that federal, state, and local policy provides a clear, predictable pathway to market for those new tools while providing consumers with the confidence that new products are safe.

Focusing on Risks, Not Hazards

We are fortunate to live in the United States for many reasons. Innovation flourishes here because of our world‐class education system, thriving public and private research and development programs, and access to capital. We are also fortunate to live in a country whose regulatory system evaluates innovation using the principles of risk assessment.

The goal of risk‐based regulation is to focus regulatory resources in a way that is proportionate to the risks that particular products, or categories of products, pose. Where technological advancements, and our understanding of those advancements, allow a greater understanding of risk, regulatory burdens should be lowered (or enhanced) accordingly. This approach stands in stark contrast to the hazard‐based framework used by some of our most important trading partners, under which technology is avoided or resisted until all risk—irrespective of degree—is ruled out.

Warp‐speed innovation is not without its challenges. In particular, it is a continuing challenge for our regulatory system to keep pace with advances in technology. Indeed, this very question was the subject of a National Academies report a few years ago entitled “Future Biotechnology Products and Opportunities to Enhance Capabilities of the Biotechnology Regulatory System.” In it, the authors predicted that advances would increase in scale, scope, complexity, and tempo—simultaneously—and counseled that agencies should prepare. But in order to address this increased volume of product development using new technologies, regulators at all levels of government need to understand the underlying technologies to be able to adequately and efficiently assess risk. Indeed, the study authors advocate for increasing agencies’ scientific capabilities, and for agencies to increase investments in regulatory science, among other recommendations.

The Role of Stakeholders in Promoting Innovation

We all have a role in identifying opportunities to harmonize advancement with the appropriate level of regulatory resources. All stakeholders should take advantage of every opportunity afforded them to communicate with regulators about what challenges they are facing, and what tools are needed to solve them. Product developers—large, small, public, private, and all the rest—should communicate with the agencies that will regulate them about what products are in the pipeline (in a manner that is in balance with the important need to protect valuable IP) and communicate with Congress about where additional resources or capabilities are needed. And Congress and the executive branch should use their existing authorities to ensure that agencies have all the resources they need to work cooperatively with developers to conduct timely and complete reviews.

Karen Carr counsels, advocates, and litigates on behalf of food and agriculture companies and industry groups, with a focus on agricultural technology, food, biotechnology, pesticides and other chemical substances, and environmental law. She co-leads ArentFox Schiff’s AgTech industry group.

The post Perspective: The Interaction Between Ag Innovation and Regulation appeared first on Farm Foundation.

Consumer behavior, food system complexity, and the interrelations between farm policies and what individuals choose to eat were among the many topics discussed in the Farm Foundation Forum, “Farm, Food, and the Policies and Practices Behind America’s Dietary Health.” The Forum took place via Zoom on May 11, 2022, and featured authors Dr. Robert Paarlberg, Dr. Michael Jacobson, and Eve Turow-Paul in conversation with moderator, G. William Hoagland.

The Forum kicked off with an observation from Hoagland, who is a senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center, that the coming Farm Bill is very likely to be the first to top one trillion dollars, and is anticipated to have 80 precent directed to the nutrition title.

In their conversations, Paarlberg, author Resetting the Table: Straight Talk About the Food We Grow and Eat, and Jacobson, author of Salt Wars, discussed the implications of highly processed foods in the food system, among other factors. Turow-Paul, author of Hungry, focused her presentation more on the cultural and social/emotional drivers behind food choices.  

The full recording, including the robust audience question and answer session, and slide deck are available on demand.

To be added to the Forum mailing list to learn about future events, please use the Contact Us tab at the top of the screen and submit your name, email, and state you would like to be subscribed to the Forum mailing list.

The post Farm Foundation® Forum Delved Into the Policies and Practices Behind America’s Dietary Health appeared first on Farm Foundation.

OAK BROOK, Ill.—Farm Foundation^®, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, will host its next virtual Forum, Understanding the EU Farm to Fork Strategy and Its Implications for U.S. Agriculture, on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. CT.

The panelists include experts on the EU and U.S. food and agriculture systems from a variety of perspectives, including economics, U.S. and EU government and non-government organizations:

• Tassos Haniotis, Director – Strategy, Simplification and Policy Analysis in the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission
• Alan Hardacre, Director of Public Affairs, CropLife Europe
• Marta Messa, Director, Slow Food Europe
• Jayson Beckman, Senior Economist, USDA Economic Research Service
• Maros Ivanic, Agricultural Economist, USDA Economic Research Service

Haniotis, Hardacre and Messa will provide commentary and analysis of the European agricultural policy agenda. Beckman and Ivanic, co-authors of the report, “Economic and Food Security Impacts of Agricultural Input Reduction Under the European Union Green Deal’s Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies,” will discuss their recent analysis and provide context to understand the impact to the U.S.

Trade expert Bill Bryant, Chairman of Bryant Christie Inc. and Farm Foundation Trade Advisory committee member, will moderate the panel.

“The EU Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal and its ambitious agenda to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050,” said Shari Rogge-Fidler, Farm Foundation President and CEO. “This will have ripple effects throughout the food and agricultural value chain not just in Europe, but around the world. This prestigious panel will provide important insights and context to help attendees advance their understanding of these policies and their impact.”

This event is being held virtually and is free to attend, but registration is required. Farmers, ranchers, food and agribusiness leaders, government officials and staff, industry representatives, NGO representatives, academics, students in agricultural disciplines and members of the media are all encouraged to attend. Register at farmfoundation.org.

The post Next Farm Foundation® Forum on April 27 appeared first on Farm Foundation.

OAK BROOK, Ill.—Farm Foundation^®, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, will host its next Forum, The Next Four Years in Ag Policy: Leading Experts Set the Stage, on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 from Noon to 2:00 p.m. CST. This moderated panel will include some of the leading voices in American agricultural policy, including:

• Mike Espy, former Secretary of Agriculture
• Dan Glickman, Vice President, Aspen Institute and former Secretary of Agriculture
• Ann M. Veneman, former Secretary of Agriculture
• Darci Vetter, Vice Chair, Agriculture, Food and Trade, Edelman and former Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

Clinton Griffiths, anchor of AgDay Television and editor of Farm Journal, will serve as moderator. Discussion is expected to focus on the potential agricultural policy priorities of the incoming presidential administration, as panelists apply their vast expertise to look forward to what the next four years could hold for farmers, ranchers and stakeholders throughout the agriculture value chain.

“As we approach Inauguration Day, this Forum is an ideal follow-up to our October event, which focused on the candidates’ food and agriculture platforms,” said Shari Rogge-Fidler, President and CEO of Farm Foundation. “As a non-partisan organization, we are honored to provide this unique opportunity for attendees to hear rich perspectives from a diverse group of panelists with experience at the highest levels of agricultural policy.”

This event is being held virtually and is free to attend, but registration is required. Anyone with an interest in agricultural, food and rural policy—including farmers, ranchers, government officials and staff, industry representatives, NGO representatives, academics and members of the media—is encouraged to attend. Register at farmfoundation.org.

The post Farm Foundation® Forum to Examine Next Four Years of Ag Policy appeared first on Farm Foundation.

OAK BROOK, Ill.—Farm Foundation^®, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, will host its latest Forum, Focus on Farm Policy: The Food and Agriculture Platforms of the 2020 Presidential Candidates, on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. CDT.

This moderated panel discussion will examine the farm policies and positions from the campaigns of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, including agricultural trade, environmental policy, land management and other issues. Clinton Griffiths, anchor of AgDay TV and editor of Farm Journal, will moderate the panel. Pam Johnson, sixth-generation Iowa farmer and former president of the National Corn Growers Association, will discuss the Biden campaign platform. Representing the Trump campaign will be Samuel H. Clovis, Jr., member of the Farmers and Ranchers for Trump Campaign Coalition and 2016 national campaign co-chair.

“Exactly three weeks before the election, Farm Foundation is pleased to focus discussions specifically on issues important to agriculture and rural communities,” said Shari Rogge-Fidler, Farm Foundation president and CEO. “As a non-partisan organization, we play an important role in providing this opportunity for voters to learn more about the specific elements of the respective candidates’ food and agriculture platforms.”

This event is being held virtually. Anyone with an interest in agricultural, food and rural policy—including farmers, ranchers, government officials and staff, industry representatives, NGO representatives, academics and members of the media—is encouraged to attend. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Attendees may register at farmfoundation.org.

The post Presidential Campaigns to Present Food and Ag Platforms at Farm Foundation® Forum appeared first on Farm Foundation.

The series, consisting of two dialogues on July 8, 2020 and July 22, 2020, will bring together experts with diverse backgrounds from the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Australia to add their unique insights to these critical conversations. Panelists will provide their views on the state of global agricultural trade in the current context, while also presenting proposals for improving the future of global agricultural markets. 

The first dialogue, entitled The Future of the Multilateral System, to be held on Wednesday, July 8 (10:00 am CDT/11:00 am EDT), will focus on the recent trade disruptions and their implications for agri-food markets, the ability of the multilateral system to bring about solutions and the future of the multilateral system. Speakers include John Clarke, EU European Commission, Peter Clark, Grey, Clark Shih and Associates, Ltd., Alan Oxley, European Centre for International Political Economy, and Joe Glauber, International Food Policy Research Institute.

Building on the first, the second dialogue, entitled Sustainability and Efficient Trade, to be held on Wednesday, July 22 (10:00 am CDT/11:00 am EDT), will examine how existing agreements and systems may suppress growth and discourage reform, as well as how disruptors and others can effect positive change in multilateral trade dialogues to ensure a global, sustainable future for food.

For additional information or to register, please visit the series website. While there is no fee for the series, registration is required.

For more information, contact events@farmfoundation.org. 

The post Farm Foundation and CAPI Partner to host Digital Dialogue Series on the Future of Global Agricultural Trade appeared first on Farm Foundation.

A report commissioned by CropLife International (CLI)—The Impact of Delays in Chinese Approvals of Biotech Crops—examines the economic impact of these delays on the corn and soybean markets for the United States, Brazil, Argentina and China. The report, which was done by Informa’s Agribusiness Consulting Group, uses a “functional regulatory system” as a baseline, against which China’s current system for biotechnology approval is assessed. Generally speaking, a functional regulatory system refers to a system that is predictable, science-based, and not subject to undue influence or delays. The study took a two-pronged approach by estimating historic losses over the six-year period from 2010-2016 and projecting future losses during the five-year period of 2017-2022.

China’s system for approving new biotechnology traits is considered sluggish for several reasons. First, China will not approve a biotech event until that event has been approved in the country of production. Second, China frequently will stop the approval process to request additional information. While it is not unusual for a regulatory body to request additional information from a petitioner, these requests happen far more frequently with Chinese regulators and the requests do not always appear necessary, nor are they clear and transparent. Third, the petitioner has no clear timeframe under which these approvals take place, making it difficult to project future gains or losses.

The study suggests heavy losses for U.S. corn of nearly $3.3 billion during the period of 2010-2016. Moreover, the study predicts that the value of U.S. corn production would be $1.8 billion to $5 billion higher during the period of 2017-2022 if China’s approval system would have been functional. Despite sluggish approvals, there was relatively little impact on soy approval from 2010-2018. However, the report’s analysis of future U.S. soy markets yielded a far more impactful result of $875 million to more than $2 billion for the period 2017-2022. To make its case, the study looks at approval dates for 17 biotech events across several countries and compared them to China’s approval dates.

Brazil and Argentina experienced similar stunting of their corn exports due to China’s approval regime. However, the calculated losses to the Latin American countries’ soy markets were far more significant than that of the United States—roughly $1.1 billion to $3.2 billion during 2010-2016, and $1.5 billion to $4.8 billion from 2017-2022.

The study does not limit itself to merely evaluating crop losses. It also calculates losses of U.S. employment, wages and GDP. In sum, the study estimates that the U.S. economy lost close to $15 billion during a five-year period. During the same period, the Canadian economy lost more than $271 million, while Brazil’s economy lost more than $4.9 billion and Argentina lost more than $2.1 billion.

Studies providing economic impact assessments of trade barriers, such as the one commissioned by CLI, are a critical tool for governments in taking remedial enforcement actions on trade barriers.

Author Daniella Taveau is Principal with Bold Text Strategies. She is a former International Policy Analyst with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and a Trade Negotiator with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she represented the United States in the World Trade Organization SPS and TBT Committees, and in U.S. free trade agreements.

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