Several months ago, I penned an article for members that referenced the shrinking number of farmers and “aggies” in the U.S. House and Senate. Perhaps nothing in that piece was a surprise, given that we all frequently lament that there are fewer and fewer farmers in the population overall. It nonetheless makes those of us who earn a living from agriculture wince.

We see our shrinking numbers as a sign of shrinking influence, even though our industry maintains its place as a key employer in over half the states.
It is against that backdrop that I want to briefly mention the drafting and development of the most significant piece of farm legislation in 20 years—the 2023 Farm Bill. The famous “field hearings” have begun (keep an eye on whether any occur in a field anywhere), so the conversation around the bill likely will follow.

Before you say getting a farm bill in this political environment will be impossible, consider history. Farm bills have never been easy. The first one is still the most famous—the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933. It was a part of newly minted President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.

The Act bribed farmers into limiting production across seven key commodities, with the ultimate hope that lower production levels would raise the market value and provide farmers with a return much closer to what economists at the time called “parity.” That first farm bill, and the very concept of a farm bill generally, faced a near-death experience, even as the Great Depression raged.

Fast forward to 1973, when the farm bill first became the shotgun wedding between farm programs and food stamps that it is today. The now late Senator Bob Dole, from Kansas, correctly reasoned back then that he could increase the likelihood of passing the farm bill if it contained something for both rural members of Congress, and their more urban counterparts.

This gave birth to the arranged marriage between the food stamps part of the federal government’s food assistance program and its five-year cycle farm aid package. The matrimony has lasted since then, but as recent farm bill cycles have revealed, significant counseling has been required to avoid a divorce.

We are now on our eighteenth farm bill, the most recent of which is the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018.

While it may now be understood that farm bills are a permissible way for the federal government to regulate farming and aid the farm economy, the fault lines over which programs deserve funding and which ones don’t remain.

In my view, the writing of the 2023 Farm Bill will test the arranged marriage concept even further. Many of the more conservative members of Congress question both the farm aid and food assistance parts of the legislation, even though many of them hail from rural districts and might therefore be expected to view farm aid as the sugar that makes the medicine go down. Moreover, even many rural districts are not viewed as farm dependent as they once were. (I believe is a statistical slight of hand, but that will be a topic for another day.)

Congressional progressives question why food assistance programs are not already bigger and view Title I of the legislation—the core commodity support programs—skeptically, given that it supports widely traded non-perishable crops. They are more apt to hear the critics who suggest it is these crops that have contributed to our non-communicable disease epidemics (diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity generally).

Add in that the farm bill provides a forum for elected officials to coerce, incent, or regulate activity believed to mitigate climate change, and you can see how the conversation will get sticky fast.

So, what does an equipment manufacturer need to know about all of this?

Mainly that the process will begin and lumber forward. Even the most pessimistic observer would admit that Congress does not want to fail to enact a farm bill. Deadlines—however extendable they may be—get attention. Neither party wants to be responsible for farm and food assistance program uncertainty infinitum.

Second, massive shifts in farm policy are rare. Changes are typically more incremental (“iterative” if you want to sound smart).

Finally, jurisdictional lines keep many of our toughest problems out of the farm bill debate. Do not expect the legislation to directly address farm labor woes, provide clarity on EPA jurisdiction, or get too far into issues like ethanol or trade policy. There are other deadlines for all of those. And other committees. And other lobbyists and trade associations galore.

Now is the time to think about what policies in the 2023 Farm Bill will impact manufacturers and how this community can position itself to influence them.

Can the case be made that supply chain vulnerabilities could be addressed in the bill? After all, challenges felt by equipment manufacturers are quickly felt by farmers and ultimately in the food supply.

Could the legislation better support the development of talent and skill that is consistently in short supply for this sector? Are there issues that need more attention for which you could call for a study or deeper analysis that might develop the conversation further? Consider these questions as the farm bill discussions get underway.

Ray Starling has been the general counsel for a state department of agriculture, a staffer on the U.S. Senate Ag Committee, and Chief of Staff to a U.S. senator. He joined the White House in 2017 as special assistant to the president for agricultural policy. In 2018, he became chief of staff for USDA’s Sonny Perdue. Today he is as general counsel to North Carolina’s Chamber of Commerce and involved with the family’s farm.

The Association has put together a speaker lineup that we hope will give attendees a bit of a firmer grasp on navigating business post-COVID-19.

Futurist
David Houle will open the convention. He is a futurist, writer and speaker who has advised more than 4,500 CEOs and business owners.

He has written a book defining the 2020s as the most disruptive decade in history. His areas of focus include brands and marketing, health care, and education.

Political/Economic Analysis
Ray Starling joined the White House staff in 2017 as special assistant to the president for agricultural policy. In 2018, he became chief of staff for USDA’s Sonny Perdue. He returned to his home state of North Carolina in 2019 to serve as general counsel to the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce. In spite of his remarkable career, Starling said the experience in his life that has most shaped him is growing up on a family farm.

Starling will offer analysis of how national and state elections may influence the economy, the regulatory environment, trade, and taxes.

How We Have Changed
The Association will bring a panel on stage to discuss how COVID-19 may influence manufacturing and the workplace, the supply chain, and sales.
Steve Wilson will focus on manufacturing. He is a consultant, coach, and trainer who has worked with hundreds of companies, including Deere.

Wilson also will lead a general session on operational excellence, which will kick off a five-part series of convention sessions and webinars.

Aleisia Dragon, who is a senior account executive for the West at YRC Worldwide, Inc., will discuss changes to the supply chain.

Greg Martinelli will focus on the new normal in sales and marketing. He is a trainer and coach who specializes in agricultural sales and the author of A Season for Sales.

The Supply Summit & Showcase is March 25 to 27 at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque. If you register by Jan. 21, you will save as much as $200 as the date approaches and rates increase.

The meeting includes a supplier product showcase, golf, trap shoot, an exploration of the Albuquerque night life, and speaker sessions, with unmatched networking opportunities woven through it all.

GENERAL SESSION SPEAKERS

2020 Public Policy Analysis
By late March, we will be immersed in campaign season, and Ray Starling will join us to help us make sense of the candidates and the issues most relevant to the shortline industry.

In 2017, Starling joined the White House staff as special assistant to the president for agricultural policy. In 2018, he became chief of staff for USDA’s Sonny Perdue.

He returned to his home state of North Carolina in 2019 to serve as general counsel to the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce. In spite of his remarkable career, Starling said the experience in his life that has most shaped him is growing up on a family farm.

Starling will offer analysis of how the top contenders in the presidential race may influence the economy, the regulatory environment, trade, and taxes. He’ll also take a look at a few high-stakes state races.

Learning from Legacies
The Association will bring back a series it introduced in 2018 in which members learn from other members who have had extraordinary staying power in the industry.

This year, we will hear from executives at Sukup Manufacturing and Osmundson Manufacturing, who will share their insights to the challenges and rewards of running a family business with a focus on transitioning from one generation to the next.

Representing Sukup will be President and CEO Steve Sukup and daughter Emily Schmitt, who is the company’s general counsel.

Also on stage will be Heather Bruce, who assumed ownership of Osmundson last year and represents the fifth generation of company leadership.

Operational Excellence
This year we kick off a new service for members: a five-part instructional series on continuous improvement intended to offer a deep dive into the work.

Steve Wilson will make the first of three convention appearances. In between conventions, he will host two webinars that tie together the content.

His first session will focus on readiness—achieving it and sustaining it in your pursuit of excellence.

Wilson is a consultant, coach, and trainer who has worked with hundreds of companies, including Deere, Union Pacific, and Heinz. He’s also worked as an operations manager with Federal Express, a service manager in the automotive and IT industries, and a quality improvement manager for a healthcare provider.