I am fond of saying that one of the primary determinants of agricultural success in the U.S. is government policy. Let’s face it. It picks winners and losers, instills mandates and decides when to waive them, dictates many of our international marketing opportunities, drives our health care and education costs, regulates what we apply and when we apply it, and is rumored to have a thing or two to say about what energy we develop, deploy, and consume.

For those who want to debate the waxing or waning of the “era of big government,” they might want to speak with an agribusiness owner first. The people who are “here to help” are everywhere.

So, who is making the decisions? With agriculture and agribusiness being a top five industry in over half of our states, surely we are well represented in Congress? Well, it depends.

The Congressional Research Service recently updated its biennial report profiling the membership of the current Congress. While the dominant professions of congressional members are public service/politics, business, or law, I was surprised to see there are 27 farmers, ranchers, or cattle farm owners in Congress (six in the Senate, 21 in the House).

With slots for 435 House members and 100 senators, it appears that, as a percentage, farm owners make up about 5 percent of the overall elected officials in Washington, D.C.

One could easily argue that at 5 percent, farmers are overrepresented in Congress. They constitute slightly more than 1 percent of the U.S. population. But before you crow about that, you should know that 5 percent figure actually marks a steep decline in farmer representation since the end of World War II.

A progressive thinktank called the Brookings Institute and a conservative one called the American Enterprise Institute jointly publish a document entitled “Vital Statistics on Congress,” which has tracked the professions of Congressional members for 70 years. In 1953, the House had 63 members whose occupation before being elected was agriculture; the Senate had 21. Converting the numbers for that Congress to a percentage, it was more than 15 percent. The trendline here is that farmer participation in Congress is in decline, even if we are still holding our own.

Beyond the data, there’s the policy work. A prominent agriculture lobbyist told me that the House Agriculture Committee this year had to actively recruit members. There are 47 slots to fill on the House committee, so even if all the farmers joined it, they’d have to recruit more than two dozen more.

In the Senate, members still jockey to join the committee, which is why some eyebrows were raised when it welcomed its first vegan in January.

The point here is that much is said of big agriculture and its grip on Washington. And farmers have, in recent history, punched above their weight. But the forecast is not promising.

With aggies making up a smaller portion of the American electorate, a similar fate likely awaits their participation percentage in elected office.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Farmers and executives in the farm machinery business are generally well-regarded in their communities. Our farmer and agribusiness associations should offer resources for those in the agriculture industry willing to explore public office, and those of us with checkbooks should step up to support them when they do.

The future of ag policy depends on who is present for the conversation. Let’s make sure we’re there.

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. See this article in its entirety in Ag Innovator magazine, or at .

The Office of the United States Trade Representative on March 1 released President Biden’s 2021 trade policy agenda. Anyone who has helped put together this kind of publication can tell you its development is no small undertaking. This is particularly true when such a public work must come to print in fewer than 45 days after President Biden was sworn in, and before the president’s trade representative nominee, Katherine Tai, has even cleared the U.S. Senate. Many long days, nights, and weekends were sacrificed to reduce the agenda to its present form.

The authors would be thrilled we are discussing it here. Or anywhere. Or at all.

What strikes me about the Biden trade agenda is not how different it is from former President Trump’s agenda, but instead, just how similar the two are in a couple of key respects. To be clear, there are differences—emphasis on climate change and on how trade policy impacts racial equity for starters—but some of the policy signals are indistinguishable from what you might have seen beneath Trump administration letterhead.

The Biden administration is fully signaling that China’s coercive and unfair trade practices remain on the punch list for reform. In their words, they will use “all available tools” to curb China’s abusive behavior, but they will use them in a “more systematic approach than the piecemeal approach of the recent past.” There is no denying that plenty of criticism for Trump’s trade policy toward China exists, but what is more difficult to deny is the fact that the need to address Chinese unfairness is now solidly front of mind for the new (and any subsequent) administration and, for what it is worth, Congress now and congresses future. In other words, standing up to China’s trade practices is now mainstream.

It remains to be seen exactly what President Biden’s aforementioned “more systematic approach” to trade with China will be, but the talking heads all seem to agree that the underlying goal, without regard to the tools used to get there, is to solidify the manufacturing sector here at home.

That should sound familiar. And it should be good news for Association members. President Trump’s America First policy resonated with working class Americans, and Biden will appeal to some of that same populist sentiment when his emissaries push to enforce stronger labor protection rules in the newly minted USMCA, for example, and when they insist that similar language be included in next generation trade agreements (or as a condition of revoking Trump’s existing tariffs elsewhere). The goal here, of course, is a more level playing field for domestic manufacturers, and hopefully a re-onshoring revival.

The Biden agenda also includes language explicitly signaling that farmers and ranchers will benefit from improved trade policy on 46’s watch. The new administration plans to “stand up” for farmers and “expand [their] global market opportunities,” but doesn’t want to burden the ag community with “erratic trade actions that were taken without a broader strategy.”

Again, short on details, but the rhetoric supporting farmers is a good start. I suspect farmers would gladly swap the focus on tariffs for something else, but it appears we will all have to wait and see what that something else will be. For now, we can be relieved that maintaining a level playing field for our farmers is still on the international trade objectives radar.

Perhaps no administration talked more about selling American farmers’ products elsewhere and Chinese cheating than President Trump’s. It appears those conversations are far from over. That is a good thing, whether you’re a conservative, progressive, or something in between.

Starling will lead a session at the Summit focused on what’s ahead for agriculture in terms of the economy, politics, and the sustainability movement. Meet him there.

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. He returned to his home state of North Carolina as general counsel to the state’s Chamber of Commerce.

As it is, you have the opportunity to hear his thoughts on what shortline industry executives most need to watch in 2021 as the political and economic dust settles on 2020.

The Association will send an email invitation to join a Zoom meeting at 10:30 a.m. CST Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The 60-minute session will include the Association’s annual business meeting, including remarks from Association President Janea Danuser and First Vice President Matt Westendorf and the election of directors to the board.

Most of the session will be dedicated to Starling’s presentation and questions from attendees.

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.
Starling grew up on his family farm in North Carolina, an experience he characterized as having the greatest influence on his life.

Starling plans to offer no-nonsense insights on the issues that will demand shortline manufacturers’ attention as we move beyond the 2020 election and COVID-19. He will let us know what industry issues are keeping him awake at night.

Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions during the Zoom session but are encouraged to submit questions in advance. Email Kristi Ruggles at Kristi@FarmEquip.org.

Because the annual business meeting is virtual, the Association intends to handle the nominating process in advance of Oct. 28.

If you would like to nominate someone for a director’s seat, contact Mike Kloster for more information. Kloster is chairman of the Nominating Committee for Directors. His email address is mikek@worksaver.com. Other committee members are Don Landoll, Marc McConnell, and Ric Kirby.

Directors are central to the Association’s work of identifying legislative priorities, growing membership, raising visibility, and stewarding the Association’s resources.

The elected directors’ three-year terms begins Oct. 28.

We are instead inviting you to a brief and high-impact online get-together.
The Association will host its annual business meeting virtually at 10:30 a.m. CST Wednesday, Oct. 28.

After a brief report from Association leadership and the election of directors, attendees will meet former White House insider Ray Starling, who will offer his thoughts on what’s ahead as the U.S. prepares for elections on Nov. 3.

“We did not see the value of staging a three-day online convention, because what our members want is to be in the same room with other members,” said Vernon Schmidt, executive vice president. “But we also know that Ray, who was scheduled to join us live in Orlando, has terrific insights to share. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to connect briefly on screen and hear from a thought leader on a timely, high-stakes issue.”

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 his family’s farm.

His plan for his brief online session is to cut through the noise and make attendees think.

“I believe that folks are so fed up with the partisan babble at the top, from the media, and in their social media feeds, that they are always pleased to hear from someone who will cut through all of that and make them think,” Starling said.

His talk will focus on possible outcomes of the election and the implications for the farm equipment industry and agriculture overall.

Watch for details about the 60-minute virtual session on Oct. 28 in upcoming issues of Shortliner.

Members who registered for the convention can expect a refund by the end of September. If you have not heard from the Association regarding your refund, contact Tricia Kidd at TKidd@FarmEquip.org, or call (314) 878-2304.

If you would like to nominate an executive from a regular member company to stand for election to the Board of Directors at the annual meeting, submit that information to a member of the Nominating Committee for Directors, which includes Mike Kloster, Marc McConnell, Ric Kirby, and Don Landoll.

Find contact information for committee members in the Association directory at .

“While our registration numbers lagged significantly behind other years, it was heartening to see just how many people were eager to join us for the convention this year,” Schmidt said. “We are of course disappointed we will not be together, but we are confident this was the responsible decision. It will be a remarkable reunion when we gather in Kansas City.”

Mark your calendars for an unforgettable Supply Summit 2021. It is April 7 to 9 at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. Starling is expected to join us in person for the Summit to offer further perspective on the state of the nation.