Episodes
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
Ep. 31 (Jennifer James, Arkansas Rice Farmer)
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
With a Farm Bill on the horizon, Congress is already hearing from policy wonks, think tank experts, and DC insiders about what they think legislation should say. But the most important voice in this conversation is the American farmer. So, we asked fourth-generation rice farmer Jennifer James to join us on the Groundwork podcast and provide her perspective on the challenges facing agriculture, especially the unique set of circumstances facing rice growers.
Learn more at FarmPolicyFacts.org.
Friday Jul 01, 2022
Ep. 30 (August Pfluger, Congressman for Texas’ 11th district)
Friday Jul 01, 2022
Friday Jul 01, 2022
When August Pfluger decided to join the Air Force, he drew upon a deeply ingrained desire to put service before self. Now, as the congressman representing Texas’ 11th district, Pfluger recognizes that same motivation in the small number of hardworking men and women who farm and ranch to provide all Americans with food, fuel, and fiber.
“It’s very difficult what that one percent of the population does to farm and ranch and provide food for every single American, because every American eats,” he recently said on the Groundwork podcast.
Pfluger joined Farm Policy Facts to discuss how farming contributes to the security of our nation, and the critical role that farm policy plays in ensuring that this security remains uncompromised.
Learn more at FarmPolicyFacts.org.
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Ep. 29 (Jocelyn Schlichting, Fourth-Generation Minnesota Farmer)
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Jocelyn Schlichting is a fourth-generation farmer who recently joined Farm Policy Facts on our Groundwork podcast to talk about the future of agriculture. Jocelyn returned to the farm five years ago after working as an accountant in corporate America, finding new purpose in growing the food that helps feed America, and the world.
Jocelyn is much more likely to be found in front of a computer than driving a combine. She uses her accounting and analytical skills to help her family make data-driven decisions on their farm.
Learn more at FarmPolicyFacts.org.
Friday Apr 29, 2022
Ep. 28 (Joanie Grimes, Crop Insurance Agent)
Friday Apr 29, 2022
Friday Apr 29, 2022
In America, approximately 220,000 farming and ranching families raise 80 percent of the crops and livestock that feed and clothe our nation. All 330 million of us.
“That is a very big task for a very small group of people,” crop insurance agent Joanie Grimes recently told Farm Policy Facts on our Groundwork podcast
It’s a task that comes with big risks, too. Joanie, an agent with the Auburn Agency in Ohio and a board member of the Crop Insurance Professionals Association (CIPA), joined Groundwork to talk about the challenges facing farmers today – and how crop insurance is a vital component of the farm safety net that protects them.
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
Ep. 27 (Paul Neiffer, The Farm CPA)
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
Benjamin Franklin once famously said, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. So, we invited Paul Neiffer, Principal at CliftonLarsonAllen and author of the blog Farm CPA Today, to join us on the Groundwork podcast to discuss how current – and proposed – tax provisions affect our farmers.
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
Ep. 26 (Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy)
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
When we think of farming, the food on our plates and clothes on our backs likely comes to mind. But what about the fuel in our cars?
Ethanol is a low-carbon, high-performance biofuel made from American-grown crops such as corn and sorghum. Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy, the nation’s largest ethanol trade association, joined us on Groundwork to talk more about how farmers help fuel America.
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Ep. 25 (Kevin Van Trump, Who Are America’s Family Farmers?)
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Kevin Van Trump has built a successful career translating the economics of agriculture as president and founder of Farm Direction and author of the Van Trump Report.
So, when USDA released its updated report on America’s Diverse Family Farms – a critical report on American farm production, but one that is easily open to misinterpretation and misuse by farm policy critics – we knew we had to get Kevin’s insights.
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
Challenges in the cattle markets are not new, but the pandemic has herded these problems to the forefront with historic packer profits – a function of spreads between the prices ranchers are paid for their cattle and the prices people pay at the grocery store or other retail markets for beef.
In the wake of these unprecedented conditions, Congress commissioned a new report from the Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) to examine fed cattle pricing, packing capacity, and related issues.
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
Ep. 23 (Michelle Miller, the Farm Babe)
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
More than ten years ago, Michelle Miller gave up gluten and swore off GMOs after believing the pervasive misinformation often peddled online about modern-day farming. Then, she fell in love with a real-life farmer – and with farming itself.
Now, Miller is arming everyday Americans with the real facts about agriculture. It’s all part of her mission as the Farm Babe.
Monday Sep 13, 2021
Ep. 22 (Jack Roney, America’s Sweetest Expert Talks Sugar Policy)
Monday Sep 13, 2021
Monday Sep 13, 2021
“I’m very proud of the fact that we’ve sustained a sugar policy that has operated at zero cost to taxpayers,” Jack Roney, the veteran sugar economist, said on a recent episode of Groundwork while reflecting on his storied career at the American Sugar Alliance (ASA).
“I’m particularly proud of that because I think our sugar farmers are among some of the best in the world at what they do.”
Roney would know. After 25 years of working at ASA, and nearly 50 years total working in agriculture, there might be no one else in America that understands the ins and outs of the sugar industry as well as Roney does. Luckily, Farm Policy Facts had the opportunity to speak with Roney prior to his retirement in August.