July 11, 2022

Contents

• Big Picture Outlook
• Thoughts from Team Torrey
• The Week Ahead
• A Quick Look Back

Big Picture Outlook

Farm Bill – Crop Insurance

As the House returns from recess this week, there will be two Farm Bill hearings. On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled “A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill: Forestry.” On Thursday, the full House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing titled “A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill: The State of Credit for Young, Beginning, and Underserved Producers.”

The House Agriculture Committee is also continuing to host farm bill listening sessions throughout the country. Last Thursday, the Committee hosted a session in Fresno, California. The conversation centered around SNAP and extreme weather events, such as wildfires. Committee Chairman David Scott recently announced the next listening sessions will take place on July 22 in Carnation, Washington and on July 25 in Northfield, Minnesota.

Bipartisan Policy Center and Tufts University Preparing for White House Conference

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and Tufts University will co-host the National Convening to Inform the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Thursday, July 14. This event, in advance of the White House conference this fall, will help develop a roadmap to improve nutrition, end hunger, and reduce diet-related chronic diseases in the United States by 2030. BPC Senior Vice President William Hoagland will introduce the event. Former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman will make opening remarks; José Andrés, chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, will make keynote remarks; and Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) will speak.

American Port Privileges Act

Three California Democratic House members — John Garamendi, Jim Costa and Mike Thompson — have introduced the American Port Access Privileges Act (H.R. 8243) “to put U.S. exporters at the front of the line at our ports and support the American economy.” The legislation was introduced on the heels of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, which was signed into law by President Biden on June 16. The bill has been endorsed by the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council.

The Week Ahead

Wednesday, July 13

• 10:00 AM EDT: House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry holds a hearing to discuss “A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill: Forestry”
• 10:00 AM EDT: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies holds a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2023 for the Department of the Interior
• 2:30 PM EDT: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy holds a hearing to examine pathways to lower energy prices in the United States

Thursday, July 14

• 10:00 AM EDT: House Agriculture Committee holds a hearing to discuss “A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill: The State of Credit for Young, Beginning, and Underserved Producers”

Friday, July 15

• 9:00 AM EDT: House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis holds a hearing to discuss Climate Smart from Farm to Fork: Building an Affordable and Resilient Food Supply Chain

To see a full list of House and Senate Committee business, visit here.

MTA in Action

MTA Welcomes Naessens and Willits to the Team

Michael Torrey Associates is pleased to welcome Katie Naessens as Vice President and Ashley Willits as Policy Manager.

Naessens will provide clients with guidance on a wide range of legislative and regulatory issues impacting the food and agriculture sector. Prior to joining MTA, she served as Senior Professional Staff for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry under Senator Debbie Stabenow. Naessens previously worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Secretary Tom Vilsack, serving in a variety of roles in the Office of Food Safety, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, and the Office of the Secretary. She also worked on Obama’s presidential campaign as Deputy Regional Field Director.

Willits will provide policy communications and advocacy support for the firm’s clients. She joins MTA from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, where she served as an Associate Director of Policy Communications. Willits previously worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Secretary Sonny Perdue as the Deputy Director of External and Intergovernmental Affairs

A Quick Look Back

“Biden-Harris Administration Announces Members to Wildfire Commission” USDA

“USDA Highlights Importance of Innovation at G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists” USDA

“Biden Administration Takes Additional Steps to Strengthen Child Nutrition Programs” USDA

“USDA Has Issued More Than $4 Billion in Emergency Relief Program Payments to Date” USDA

“Congress Passes a Bill with Provisions to Save Pandemic-Era Universal Free School Lunches” The Daily Yonder

“Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Scientists Create Energy-Dense Biofuel” The Daily Californian

“Vegetable Growers Praise Increased Efficiency that Accompanies Precision Agriculture” Growing Produce

“The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022” FAO of the United Nations

“A House GOP Group Has a Plan to Cut Farm Programs” Progressive Farmer

“Anxiety Grows for Ukraine’s Grain Farmers as Harvest Begins” Associated Press

“Oil Refiners, Unions Press U.S. EPA on Biofuel Blending Costs -Sources” Reuters