Hey Agriculture, Change Is Coming!

Well, we made it through another election and it was exhausting. How many texts, phone calls, and pieces of mail did you receive from campaigns? I lost count!?

I’m no “inside the Beltway, DC pundit," but I certainly have some predictions and contemplations for what Ag might expect moving forward.

Trump, Trade, Tariffs

Most who work in Ag support DJT. Those in Ag who oppose him usually say it’s due to his trade war with China that harmed Ag exports in 2018-2019, particularly soybeans.

Will we have another trade war? Maybe. For sure there will be tariffs on electric cars and solar panels from China…those tariffs have already been in place since September, under Biden (or whoever was in charge!?).

Remember, China’s goal with their “Belt and Road” initiative is to remove dependence on the U.S. for food. I have been saying for years, China doesn’t want to be our customer, they want to be our replacement!?

Why North American Ag Must Wean Itself Off China

RFK Jr. to Make America Healthy Again??

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will play a role in the Trump administration as he pledges to “make America healthy again.” ?Much of what Mr. Kennedy sees as a problem, I agree with. 42% of Americans are obese, another quarter of the nation is overweight, and diabetes is off the charts. RFK wants to revamp the federal dietary guidelines that have been in place since the early 1980s and exist so that academic “experts” can tell Americans what to eat.?

Like everything to come out of Washington, the dietary recommendations are laden with political and social causes. Why does it matter? Because it affects food policy, school lunches, and a whole bunch of Ag trade groups feel pressure to insinuate themselves into the politics of the dietary guidelines. ?

A few concerns I have about RFK Jr’s possible role in Ag and Food:?

• He’s an organic zealot. Even stating once that organic food could cure diabetes.?
• He’s an activist attorney. In fact, he led the initial litigation against Monsanto and glyphosate. Generally activists become religious-like in their causes, especially when the cause is their source of revenue. What’s RFK’s cause going to cost us??
• He talks nostalgically about “small family farms” versus the evils of “factory farms” and getting rid of industrial Agriculture. This sort of rhetoric plays well with suburbanites and / or trust fund babies like RFK, but farm kids like me have been seeing consolidation our whole career in Ag. Is he going to put a limit on farm size? What classifies the delineation between small and large farms? ?

Will RFK Jr’s Misguided Activism Set Back 70 Years of Ag Innovation??

If you’d like to hear more of Damian’s insights and outlook for The Business of Agriculture, follow him on social.

Better yet, book Damian to speak at your 2025 Ag event. ?Always interesting, always entertaining. ?

Your audience will thank you!?

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