What will Trump mean for food policy and the Farm Bill?

International Dairy Food Association brings together experts to discuss the new administration

In a look forward at what farm and food policy will look like under the Trump administration, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) recently brought together Washington veterans to discuss issues like trade and the Farm Bill that affect the agriculture sector.

“There are many policy and labeling decisions being made that directly impact the way that our food is made. It’s absolutely imperative that those making these decisions have all the facts,” said Todd Armstrong, senior director of global market access at Elanco Animal Health, in introducing the panel.

Moderated by David Carlin, senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy at IDFA, the panel discussion, “Food Policy and the Farm Bill – What’s Next?” included Krysta Harden, vice president of public policy and chief sustainability officer at DuPont; Dale Moore, executive director of public policy at the American Farm Bureau Federation; and Randy Russell, president of The Russell Group, an agriculture and food policy lobbying firm.

Key policymakers in Washington who will affect agriculture and food policy include Sens. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), and Reps. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota), according to Russell, who also lauded President Donald Trump’s choice of Sonny Perdue for Agriculture Secretary.

“He is going to be an outstanding ag secretary … given his background as a veterinarian, given his background in the feed and grain business, given his managerial competency as governor,” he said.

Russell said to keep an eye on Trump’s pick for EPA administrator, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt.

“If you want a litmus test, watch what Scott Pruitt does. … He’ll be a proxy for the rest of the administration,” he said.

But, Russell said there are other agencies of government that will play an important role in the agriculture and food sectors, like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Talk about trade

Moore said he is looking forward to talking about trade with Perdue; the nominee for U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Robert Lighthizer; and the nominee for Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross.

“Our hope is that they get a chance to set the trade policy and have a good, working discussion about that with agriculture having a seat at the table,” Moore said.

Russell said the Trump administration’s trade focus will be on two areas: trade enforcement and bilateral trade agreements.

“Fundamentally, there is a shift from the power center that’s been at the U.S. Trade Representative’s office … to the White House,” he said. “There is going to be a different role that USTR plays in this arena.”

If the Trump administration renegotiates or deconstructs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the implications for agriculture could be huge, Russell said. According to him, 16 percent of the annual dairy production in the U.S. is exported every year, and two of the main export markets are Mexico and Canada. Top U.S. dairy export markets are “potentially in the crosshairs of these trade negotiations,” he said.

“We saw NAFTA as a huge win, a positive step in opening up markets,” Harden said. “What I would hope is that agriculture is at the table (during the negotiations). …  I hope they’re listening to agriculture.”

New Farm Bill

With a new Farm Bill on the table in the next two years, there are a lot of issues at stake, and a lot of challenges to overcome, the panelists said.

“Clearly, it’s going to be a bipartisan Farm Bill if we’re going to get it done,” Russell said.

“I don’t think it’s going to be easy, and I think there are a number of hurdles,” Harden said. But, she added, “the strength of agriculture has always been that we work in a bipartisan way.”

She said some of the Farm Bill’s challenges will be getting certain policies to fit into the budget, new members of the agriculture committees who have never worked on a Farm Bill before, and getting enough votes in Congress to pass the bill.

“New coalitions may need to come together,” she said.

Ann Reus is an associate editor at WATT Global Media