With so much change on the horizon, the ag industry is bracing for what the new Administration has in store.
The CEO of the National Potato Council says folks are asking the right questions, but their concerns may be presumptive.
“If the threat of tariffs drives countries that we partner with, and in some cases compete with, if it drives them to the negotiating table where we can get a better deal overall for, selfishly for U.S. agriculture’s huge trade deficit, we can start balancing that trade deficit. That will be a very good thing. Obviously, if you had massive tariffs go on just kind of wholesale across the United States and never come off, that’s an entirely different matter. But that hasn’t happened. So, I think we just have to give the administration the opportunity to actually implement their policies,” said Kam Quarles.
Regardless, Quarles says the way things are currently going is not working, so he hopes change leads to more positive outcomes.
Reliance on vegetable imports remains uneven, with domestic production still anchoring several major categories.
Utah Senator John Curtis joins us for “Champions of Rural America” to discuss new legislation to improve forest management and wildfire prevention and its broader implications for rural communities and infrastructure.
NRECA CEO Jim Matheson joins us to discuss rural electric co-ops’ push for expanded USDA loan programs, rising energy demand from data center expansion, wildfire mitigation and other policy priorities impacting rural power infrastructure.
StoneX’s Josh Linville discusses USDA’s efforts to boost domestic fertilizer production and his outlook on supply and prices.
With the Farm Bill now in the Senate’s hands, industry groups say the stakes are high—and timely action could be critical for producers navigating a difficult economic environment.
Domestic demand policy may play a larger role if export competition continues to limit price recovery.
