Key Policy & Trade Concerns for U.S. Agribusiness in 2024 & Beyond

In this week's North American Ag Spotlight Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Mary Kay Thatcher, the Senior Manager of Federal Government and Industry Relations at Syngenta. Mary Kay shared her extensive insights on the pressing policy and trade concerns facing U.S. agribusiness today. With a remarkable career that spans over three decades, Thatcher's expertise and deep-rooted connection to agriculture make her a formidable voice in the industry.

Thatcher joined Syngenta’s Government Relations team in 2018, following a 31-year tenure as a lobbyist for the American Farm Bureau Federation. During her time at the Farm Bureau, she was instrumental in lobbying on issues related to farm programs, crop insurance, conservation, and credit. She also led the organization's efforts in addressing farm data security and privacy, serving as President of the Ag Data Transparency Evaluator and Secretary of the Ag Data Coalition.

Her career began as a legislative assistant for agriculture and trade to Senator Roger Jepsen of Iowa, shortly after graduating from Iowa State University with degrees in animal science and agricultural economics. Thatcher also served in the first Bush Administration as the director of congressional and public affairs at the Farm Credit Administration, further solidifying her expertise in agricultural policy.

A fifth-generation Iowa farmer, Thatcher’s deep understanding of farming is not just professional but personal. She grew up on a 500-acre farm and currently manages a farm in Iowa that produces corn and soybeans, alongside a cow/calf operation. This unique blend of practical farming experience and high-level policy work gives her a comprehensive perspective on the challenges and opportunities in agribusiness.

Thatcher talks about her upcoming presentation at the Women in Agribusiness (WIA) Summit in Denver, Colorado, where she will speak on "Key Policy and Trade Concerns for U.S. Agribusiness." The WIA Summit, which debuted in September 2012, has grown into a premier event for women in the sector, providing a dynamic networking and knowledge-sharing forum. The Summit's focus on fostering positive and productive environments for professional women across agribusiness and food sectors has made it a vital event for industry leaders.

Learn more about Syngenta and Mary Kay Thatcher at - https://www.syngenta-us.com/sustainability/meet-the-team

Learn more about The Women in Agribusiness Summit at - https://www.womeninag.com

#womeninag #farming #agriculture

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Agritechnica in Hannover, Germany is held every other year, this year long-time tech writer & ag journalist Willie Vogt has put together for ag enthusiasts! The Agritechnica tour includes three days at the huge equipment and farm technology event. Learn more - https://agtoursusa.com/agritechnica.html

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Transcript

00;00;28;04 - 00;00;49;05
Unknown
in agriculture policy and advocacy. The senior manager of federal government and industry relations at Syngenta. Brings over three decades of experience in lobbying for farm programs, crop insurance, conservation and credit. She has a distinguished background that includes spearheading initiatives on farm data security and privacy, and serving in key roles such as president of the AG.

00;00;49;07 - 00;01;15;07
Unknown
Data transparency evaluator and secretary of the AG Data Coalition. Additionally, her tenure in the Bush administration and her roots as a fifth generation Iowa farmer underscore her deep connection to and understanding of the ag sector. She'll also be speaking at the Women in Agribusiness Summit this fall in Denver, on the topic of key policy and trade concerns for U.S. agribusiness in 2024 and beyond.

00;01;15;09 - 00;01;36;15
Unknown
Today, we're going to discuss this important topic, and I'll also looking forward to her presentation this year in Denver. So today we are honored to welcome Mary Kay Thatcher. Welcome, Mary Kay, and thank you so much for being here today. You bet. Chrissy, nice to be here. So let's start out with your background. how did you get where you are today?

00;01;36;18 - 00;02;04;16
Unknown
Well, you know, most people say their their, life didn't really go the way they planned it, but mine's all been really fairly linear year. I grew up on a farm in Iowa. close to Des Moines. I went to Iowa State. I have an ag business, ag con, double major with an ag journalism minor. And then I came out to Washington and did agricultural work for then Senator Jepson from Iowa, worked for the Farm Bureau lobbying for a few years, worked in the first Bush administration and now with Syngenta.

00;02;04;19 - 00;02;27;06
Unknown
So the fact is, my whole career has been agriculture. I still have a small family farm in Iowa. Don't get to get much dirt under my nails, but, do get to, you know, visit with the fella who helps me out and try to talk about what our planning decisions are. So I still really, really enjoy it. And, you know, it's funny, I was just with, a senator from Mississippi, Cindy Hyde-Smith.

00;02;27;06 - 00;02;47;23
Unknown
And, you know, we just were talking about how what a great little fraternity agriculture is. It's really a small world everywhere. Certainly in Washington, kind of. Everybody knows everybody. But it's a small world. And it's just I think working with farmers and ranchers, it's they're just the salt of the earth that I couldn't ask for a better career.

00;02;47;25 - 00;03;21;22
Unknown
Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more especially. But the for fraternity, it's, you know, doesn't matter where you go in the, in the US and in Canada, there's there's always connections. So a lot is going on obviously. how have recent policy changes impact impacted U.S. agribusiness and what are the most significant issues right now? Well, I think, probably the most significant thing we have is the Chevron decision coming out of the Supreme Court, and nobody really knows how that's going to work out.

00;03;21;22 - 00;03;49;10
Unknown
But in general, the Chevron decision or the overturning of it said that instead of, their requirement that, courts had to sort of bow to whatever regulatory bodies came up with, this will allow them to do some overturning on those. And so we look in agriculture to numerous regulations at EPA to figure out, okay, what are the ones that, you know, might have some interpretation changes.

00;03;49;10 - 00;04;15;10
Unknown
What about USDA? They're probably tax issues. nobody really knows yet how just vast that could be. In fact, I think all the committee chairs of the of the House just sent letters to, for example, U.S., House and Senate to Secretary Vilsack at USDA and ask a whole host of questions about, you know, what what laws might they consider ought to be reconsidered, etc..

00;04;15;10 - 00;04;32;22
Unknown
So it's going to be very interesting to see, you know, what does that package finally end up like? secondly, it's going to be a real challenge. I mean, certainly we think, as does I believe everybody in agriculture, that it's a lot better if we let the Hill write the regulations or the laws and not have as much interpretation.

00;04;32;22 - 00;04;51;13
Unknown
But the fact is, Congress isn't very used to that. They're not used to spending the time to cross every T and dot every eye, and they're going to have to get that way now because the Chevron, overturned means they're going to have a lot more input into it. So I think that's going to affect a whole lot of things.

00;04;51;15 - 00;05;14;15
Unknown
I think another really big issue, and I wouldn't say that I think it's been dealt with yet, in almost any fashion, is just our debt, our deficit. Maybe ten years ago, 15 years ago, we talked a lot about that, but nobody has paid much attention to it in the last few years. And people continue to pass all kinds of laws and that cost additional money.

00;05;14;15 - 00;05;30;14
Unknown
They may be great laws, but, you know, we're getting more and more in debt. I believe that in the next Congress, certainly we're going to have to pass a debt limit again right after they come back from, in January and are sworn in, etc.. But I believe people are going to start paying more attention.

00;05;30;14 - 00;05;53;18
Unknown
So we think about things like there being a lot of tax provisions that must be reauthorized next year, things like the estate tax and 1031 exchanges and, and the 199 exemption for co-ops, etc., will all of those cost money? And so now I think it's going to be even more difficult to figure out how do we deal with those than it was when we originally passed them in 2017?

00;05;53;20 - 00;06;10;12
Unknown
And I think on the spending side, you're going to have something like it sure doesn't look like the farm bill is going to get done this year. I mean, maybe, maybe, maybe a lame duck, but if it doesn't, we're also going to come back and have this, budget reconciled nation package, which will cost money, will be facing taxes.

00;06;10;15 - 00;06;28;18
Unknown
And I think we're going to be looking at this farm bill, and people are going to say, do we have the same amount of money to fund a farm bill in 2025 as we would if we did it in 2024? So just a couple of examples. I mean, certainly you're going to find examples in housing and Medicare and Social Security and everywhere else on this kind of thing.

00;06;28;18 - 00;06;47;24
Unknown
But I think we haven't really dug into the debt and the deficit, and certainly and we won't know this answer until we know who's the next president, who controls the House and the Senate by how big a margins, etc., what kind of people are they? But, I cannot see a way that we don't spend a lot more time kind of pulling our hair out on.

00;06;47;24 - 00;07;08;28
Unknown
Where do we find the funding to do things and where do we find the will to cut funding elsewhere? Yeah, those are some really great points. And let's kind of break those down kind of one by one. I know the Chevron deference. You know, I think I, I Yahoo when I heard the heard it that day. Just just excellent news.

00;07;09;00 - 00;07;34;07
Unknown
I hope and that kind of brings up, you know, EPA sometimes feels like agriculture's biggest foe, especially when, when it comes to crop protection. So what are some of those main environmental regulations that are affecting the U.S. farmer and then agribusiness as well? And how are they being managed? And and do we have hope coming forward even because of Chevron deference being overturned?

00;07;34;10 - 00;07;53;02
Unknown
Well, I wouldn't hold my breath or anything major to happen very fast. I mean, again, I think it's going to take us several months to sort of work out where are we on this Chevron deference? And, you know, again, asking for input from the agencies and the departments themselves on what they believe is is going to be, teed up.

00;07;53;04 - 00;08;17;04
Unknown
But, you know, we're here and, you know, the the dog days of summer and we know that the Congress will be out for the whole month of August and, and they're going to be out a while. They will have been out for the Republican convention. So the fact is, we don't have very much time left. We've got like, you know, 4 or 5 weeks, maybe when they come back in September before they're going to go home and campaign in October.

00;08;17;10 - 00;08;43;07
Unknown
So we're not having a lot of time for Congress to do anything. And we're at a point where, of course, we don't know, is Mr. Biden gonna win reelection or will it be a Republican administration? And so I don't anticipate EPA doing much of anything that's helpful to agriculture in the next few months. I mean, could they do a quicker job in approving, re registering and registering new pesticides?

00;08;43;13 - 00;09;07;12
Unknown
Absolutely. We'd love to have that happen. They're going to say they're short of staff and money, which is true. And I think everybody, almost every ag group and certainly every company like mine. Syngenta has been lobbying for more money for the Office of Pest Management so that we can indeed move some of these new products along. That will be better for farmers and that will be better for the environment, etc., but not going to happen soon.

00;09;07;14 - 00;09;27;17
Unknown
I think we have a big issue in dicamba about are they going to approve any uses? later. I just can't imagine that happening before the election. Probably not at all. In 2020 for a decision like that. We've got okay, the 40 Bee regs came out on sustainable aviation fuel, and now they've got to put out the regs on 45 Z.

00;09;27;18 - 00;09;47;07
Unknown
And are they going to make that easier for farmers. Because I think the 40 B regs were it was a lot of mitigation to do to be able to qualify for that help. again, I, I hope that comes out, but I'm pretty iffy. I just don't I'm not sure a Democratic administration is going to move forward on some of those issues.

00;09;47;07 - 00;10;15;29
Unknown
Right now. And, you know, one other interesting point, and this is really kind of policy wonk in the weeds, I guess. Chrissy. But, there is a provision in law that says for, regulations that were put in place in the last 60 days of the administration, and it's how many days are they actually in session? So it's not like, okay, November or December, then it's much easier for if you had a Republican House and Senate and President to overturn those regs.

00;10;16;02 - 00;10;35;16
Unknown
So we know we're already in that 60 day period. They're not going to be in session or it's very, very, very unlikely they would be in session the next, in 60 days before January 1st. So a lot of a lot of people in the administration also know that. And they know, therefore there's a really good chance that some of these things could be overturned.

00;10;35;16 - 00;11;00;25
Unknown
And so they're having to reevaluate how do we really put this out? What kind of political spin do we put on it, is it worth it, etc.. So I don't anticipate a lot of regulations that are going to be helpful for farmers being issued. prior to the election. Yeah, that totally makes sense. And what about trade? What are the biggest trade concerns that we're facing?

00;11;00;28 - 00;11;20;27
Unknown
you know, like, I guess it all kind of follows the same theme, but, trade does I mean trade, we have not. I think this is the correct number. We have not done a new trade agreement in this country, a free trade agreement in like 14 years. So no, Mr. Biden has not been helpful on that. Mr. Obama wasn't helpful either.

00;11;20;29 - 00;11;42;03
Unknown
you know, we we all remember fondly the days when the World Trade Organization worked and we were passing things like China, NDR and Usmca and all this host of things, and we just don't seem to get the appetite in Congress to really get that done. again, I don't anticipate anything in that manner happening. before next year.

00;11;42;03 - 00;12;05;12
Unknown
And then I think it's going to be a real push to, to get anything there. I mean, we we in agriculture, that might be gosh, that might be one of the places that I think it's most important for us to be out there lobbying about it because, you think about not necessarily free trade agreements, but, you know, both President Biden and former President Trump have talked about wanting to implement more tariffs.

00;12;05;15 - 00;12;26;07
Unknown
Well, that's likely going to drive some inflation in this country. It's likely going to drive some reciprocity. Who on whoever we put tariffs on. They're going to say, well then let's put tariffs back on the US. You know we remember not that long ago during Covid when tariffs went in and on China and it killed our soybean market.

00;12;26;07 - 00;12;47;27
Unknown
I mean I'm not sure we'll ever get that total market back. so tariffs are our huge issue and we need to do better. I think agriculture did so much better on trade issues. Ten years ago. Where were you had coalitions of 50 or 60 groups and they were out really lobbying on. Let's make sure we get a really good trade deal here.

00;12;47;27 - 00;13;15;17
Unknown
And we don't have that. So there's that. And then one other thing I'd throw out about trade is, you know, very closely watching and trying to have lots of input into what's happening with Mexico. And then not wanting to take GMO corn, them not wanting to take leave to say certainly the corn thing is a bigger issue, and I think it has to be viewed as very good news that, the gentleman who it was will be the new Secretary of Agriculture in Mexico.

00;13;15;17 - 00;13;33;26
Unknown
He was appointed by the new president, came out and said, hey, we don't want to do this. We can't stop GE corn from coming in this country. First of all, we need it. We need it to feed the livestock. You know, we can't produce enough. So this has to stop. Well, that's great news, but the new president doesn't take office until October 1st.

00;13;33;28 - 00;13;52;26
Unknown
So even though they say it, they can't overturn a president Obrador decree until that time, I don't anticipate he's going to overturn it. So we have to keep our eye on that. And then certainly we've had the Usmca case where they've had the hearings, they've talked about those things, but we don't have the outcome from that case yet either.

00;13;52;26 - 00;14;14;09
Unknown
So we we have to keep the pressure on this U.S. Trade Representative office and USDA, for that matter, to make sure that they continue to move this process along. I think they've been really good the last few months. I think the right things were said at the hearing, a few weeks ago when they were trying to figure out who's right or wrong, us or Mexico about this.

00;14;14;09 - 00;14;34;23
Unknown
But it's far from being an issue that's resolved. So trade is very multifaceted. I think with lots of things you have to look out for. Again, I probably going to sound like a broken record here, but I don't anticipate a whole lot of things happening in the next few months. I think we probably will get that Usmca case in Mexico.

00;14;34;23 - 00;14;55;28
Unknown
We'll probably get some a decision on that, and then we'll have to come back and say, well, okay, if the US is right, which I believe we are, and they win this case, then what kind of monetary penalty are we going to put on? So it's still months away from being resolved, but for the moment it feels like at least it's going in the right direction.

00;14;56;00 - 00;15;32;04
Unknown
That's good. That's what I was going to ask is when when do we see that outcome coming. But yeah, it seems like everything is moving slow as molasses right now. and the topic of subsidies can be really polarizing, but, can you discuss the role of government subsidies in supporting U.S. agriculture and any proposed changes? Well, I think that if you look at, either Senator Stabenow, the chairwoman of the Senate AG, her farm bill proposal or chairman G.T. Thompson, the Republican who is in charge of the House AG Committee, he's obviously passed through the AG Committee.

00;15;32;04 - 00;15;54;24
Unknown
It was a bipartisan bill. There were only four Democrats that supported it. And, you know, all the Republicans. So it was my Partizan. But certainly we would have hoped for more. but both of those bills, do improve, the PLC program, the Arc program, the crop insurance program, for farmers to try to get a better safety net.

00;15;54;24 - 00;16;16;21
Unknown
Both of them address in different ways. What do we do about Base Acres being so out of whack? they do it in different ways. Certainly a big push for what about young and new farmers that come into it and they have no base? Can that be addressed, etc.? so I think there is that intent now, I don't think the farm bill is going to pass this year.

00;16;16;24 - 00;16;46;20
Unknown
but I don't think that we're going to lose the momentum to improve it. Now. Again, I'm a little skeptical because I do think when we get to 2025, it's going to be more difficult to get adequate funding for a farm bill than it is in 2024. But I think we've we've had so many red lines in the sand with a member saying, I'm not voting for this farm bill unless X or unless Y, or in some cases, and let's X and y that I just don't see a way out.

00;16;46;24 - 00;17;13;23
Unknown
Maybe there's people way, way smarter than me that politically we'll figure out a way to, you know, put those two sides together. but I'm not sure that's the case. So we may indeed be postponed and trying to figure out where what that is. I think, though, you know, one of the things, that in favor of getting a farm bill done not in favor of farmers, but as you well know, Chrissy, we've got a lot of commodities that the prices just aren't great right now.

00;17;13;24 - 00;17;35;03
Unknown
I think commodities like corn and soy and wheat and cotton, you know, I think if anything, you want to be a cattle producer right now. But, so I do think that will drive some action because, you always move a farm bill along a little bit quicker pace, I think, and with a little bit more oomph and changes when things in agriculture are tough.

00;17;35;03 - 00;18;06;03
Unknown
You know, we always say to members of Congress, remember when you write a farm bill, you're not writing it for the current circumstance. You're writing it for the next five years. But invariably people write it as if the current circumstances are going to continue for five years. So if that trend continues, you've got to believe agriculture is in a difficult enough time right now with high input prices and high interest rates and not so good commodity prices, that Congress is probably going to be, a little more generous than they might be if things were really, really good.

00;18;06;03 - 00;18;34;25
Unknown
And we were right in this farm, bill, say, two years ago. Yeah, that makes sense. And given the, the stalemate, I guess with the House and Senate, what are you hearing are some of those key issues where it's just a standstill, gridlock? There's really, two or have you want to look at it? Three major issues. one of them is the Snap program subcommittee on Nutrition Assistance, which is what still a lot of people, call the food stamp program.

00;18;34;28 - 00;18;55;21
Unknown
and in the 2018 farm bill, the, the writers of the farm bill put a provision in there that said, every five years, USDA can go in and they can look at what's called the Thrifty Food Plan, which was just sort of a basic meal of this is what you would anticipate a family of four would eat for a week, right?

00;18;55;21 - 00;19;16;25
Unknown
And then you back that out and then it says, well, then this is the amount of money that these families deserve to get for that benefit. And, just like we just talked in the Chevron defense. Congressman, very good about not in the D's in, in, not in the eyes in crossing the T's. So they weren't specific about what they really meant.

00;19;16;28 - 00;19;38;14
Unknown
And while I think they intended it to be updated, at least the Republicans, I don't think they intended that USDA would go as far as they did. So I can talk both sides of this issue. I believe that USDA has not updated the Thrifty Food plan in 35 years. So one knows that what we eat and how much and, you know, those kinds of things have changed.

00;19;38;16 - 00;20;03;02
Unknown
But on the other hand, it cost about a quarter of $1 trillion over the ten year farm bill. That's the projection. So projection is this farm bill is going to cost $1.5 trillion. If that change in the food stamp program hadn't been made, it would be $1.25 trillion. So a pretty big number when you think about it in terms of perspective.

00;20;03;04 - 00;20;26;14
Unknown
So, what happened is G.T. Thompson came in and said, I want to make sure I don't want to roll back any money that's been given out, but I want to make sure that USDA doesn't go in next year or the year after and do the same thing and cost us another quarter of a trillion or whatever. So I'm going to freeze the Thrifty Food plan idea and say, other than inflation, the cost can't go up.

00;20;26;16 - 00;21;03;29
Unknown
Well, that caused a lot of backlash on the Democratic side, saying, oh my goodness, it's only $1.40. a day more. This is not outrageous. We don't want to ever say never again. I would tell you, I believe GT is right, and I believe that Democrats ought to pay more attention to it because I believe there's a real, real possibility if former President Trump is elected and comes in office, he goes in and just flips the switch at USDA and he undoes everything that the Vilsack administration just did.

00;21;04;01 - 00;21;25;02
Unknown
So if I was a Democrat, I would be hedging my bet against, well, if Trump wins, I don't want to lose what I already got. But again, if I come back to how much politics is going on and those big red lines, most Democrats have drawn such big red lines in the sand, they can't cross it anymore. And they've been so vocal about it.

00;21;25;04 - 00;22;00;11
Unknown
So a very long explanation and a very complex topic, especially for farmers and ranchers who don't pay a whole lot of attention to Snap. But, as you can well imagine, it is just the issue just brims over and has made it a very Partizan deal. And I would say the second thing is, the money that came through the Inflation Reduction Act and put, a good amount of money, 27, $30 billion, something like that, into conservation programs, but said that money has to be spent for conservation programs that ensure climate smart agriculture.

00;22;00;14 - 00;22;21;12
Unknown
And there is Oh, I don't know. I'm going to tell you 13 to $15 billion of that money left. And so in general, if you look at Republicans, they'd like to move that money and either put it into other conservation programs that might not be just targeted for for climate friendly AG or put it into higher support prices for farmers.

00;22;21;12 - 00;22;42;12
Unknown
I mean, I don't think there's any real agreement on how that money would be spent, but there's a lot of agreement on, hey, we'd like to change that. And especially Senate committee, Chairwoman Stabenow, that was her baby and the Inflation Reduction Act. She feels very, very good about the amount of money. everybody feels good about the additional money that we were able to get for conservation.

00;22;42;20 - 00;23;16;17
Unknown
But she feels really strongly that it should be spent only on climate smart. So, again, it's a very big line between, again, mostly Democrats and mostly Republicans, which has led whether you think about that in the snap bill to some pretty Partizan fights in Congress, more than you're usually getting when you do a farm bill. so certainly this farm bill is a lot harder than the previous one, but the previous one was harder than the one before that, etc. and I suspect we'll continue to do this for a while, but without a doubt I would tell you this is my ninth farm bill.

00;23;16;17 - 00;23;48;11
Unknown
I this is by far the most Partizan bill, right? Well, I guess with with culture just getting more and more divided, it makes sense that that everything would be and all policy would be. But yeah, I hope we can put farmers first and stop any, any extremist ideology kind of help that I was in. I met with with American agri women at EPA and USDA and, just last month and, and you can see ideology in the people you meet with.

00;23;48;13 - 00;24;15;09
Unknown
And I my hope is that we can kind of like, quell that ideology and really focus on the issues and get back to get back to normal normality and really talk about what's best for farmers. Right? Yep. Absolutely. Yeah. So what are some, your main concerns about labor labor policy? is there some hope? I know, you know, H-2a program is so, so important.

00;24;15;09 - 00;24;36;25
Unknown
So that brings in immigration as well into labor. are you seeing anything in your crystal ball? No. You know, people are going to go, this is the most depressing person I've ever met, but, I just don't see. I mean, labor is even less likely, in my opinion, on the farm bill. and again, I mean, I first of all, I don't think we have the answer yet.

00;24;36;25 - 00;24;53;17
Unknown
We haven't come to a point where we could. But even if we're close and I think there have been some bills that have been introduced that have gotten us a whole lot closer. But I think, again, we got an election coming up in a few months. And there are many, many Republicans who say, I don't want to do anything about immigration.

00;24;53;18 - 00;25;16;00
Unknown
I don't want to do anything about the Mexican border. I think we want to use that issue against Joe Biden as he's running for president. So Congress don't do it. I just, I wouldn't I wouldn't bet a nickel that we could move any kind of immigration labor bill this year. Yeah. So then let's switch then into something more positive that can affect labor.

00;25;16;00 - 00;25;46;10
Unknown
And that's technology and innovation. So so that's a big part of what your life has been about too. So tell me some of those, opportunities I guess, that are, that are had. Well, I think that again, when we get a farm bill, there's some good things there. There are several provisions in there that talk about, Grant money and loan money and incentives for precision ag equipment for, you know, holding data for helping farmers.

00;25;46;13 - 00;26;07;02
Unknown
really use artificial intelligence, all those kinds of things. So I think there's a real consideration of that. I also think that in the last farm bill and in this farm bill, there are many incentives, especially if you look at like the fruit and vegetable industry where they were, they were hurt first by a lack of labor before dairy, before now, everybody else.

00;26;07;02 - 00;26;33;16
Unknown
But and they, they figured early on, we're not going to be able to hire enough people to pick tomatoes or bing cherries or whatever it may be, and so they went to work on technology provisions in the research titles where they could come in and say, let's put extra and extra incentives in for more research. that could build better technology, for especially specialty crop products.

00;26;33;18 - 00;26;46;24
Unknown
So I think we're already seeing that, you know, I don't know, not that many years ago, I rode on a little tomato picker and it had ten people on it, and that's how they did it. And now you see them going through the fields and just looks like a little house sitting over the rows. And there you go.

00;26;46;24 - 00;27;13;21
Unknown
So I think we've made a lot of progress already, but more will come. you look at the technology on things like Sea and Spray, where it only supposedly sprays the weed versus sprays across the field. You obviously see the driverless tractors, you see the GPS kind of stuff working and all the data going in. So it's going on its own anyway, and there's a ton of private industry funding into it, but also a ton of, funding through USDA.

00;27;13;21 - 00;27;56;12
Unknown
And I think that will continue. And that is driving agriculture forward. Yeah. That's good. So what is your advice to the American producer through 2024 and beyond? Well, my advice is to stay engaged. My goodness I know it's it's hard. It's yeah. You know Washington D.C. and state capitals are not necessarily fun places right now. But, as we get to be a smaller and smaller part of, of the industry, we have got to be even more engaged in telling agricultural story and making sure that, members of Congress, members of state legislatures, understand the issue, understand the impact on their constituents, etc..

00;27;56;12 - 00;28;25;07
Unknown
I mean, I'm still amazed that with agriculture being, you know, whatever we want to define it as 1% of the population, 2%. We box well above our weight class. But it's because farmers and ranchers are engaged. I mean, they are willing to drop what they're doing and come to Washington in the spring for a couple of days. They're willing to write an email or call a congressional staffer or, you know, host a little fundraiser at their house for for alleged Slater, etc..

00;28;25;07 - 00;28;57;09
Unknown
And it's that it's that involvement that keeps us going. And I think that will continue to keep us going. But the fact is, we get fewer and fewer, folks, especially elected to Congress who understand agriculture. I mean, you already said I've been here a while, but when I came every buddy had a grandpa who was a farmer or an uncle where they had gone out and at least baled hay for the uncle in the summer, or a grandmother who had chickens and they, you know, fondly remembered that that's not the case anymore.

00;28;57;10 - 00;29;17;15
Unknown
There are a lot of people that know absolutely nothing about agriculture. And so it's a challenge and it takes time. It takes time. I can't just walk into an office and say, let me talk to you about estate taxes. I have to explain what's a farm and how does this affect them? And why is a farmer have so much money invested in their land and those kinds of things?

00;29;17;18 - 00;29;47;06
Unknown
So we've all got to be better, than we've been. and so we can continue to box above our weight. Yeah. Yeah. Great. Great advice. And, one last question for you. Why do you serve the industry this way? And what are you most passionate about? And everything you do working with farmers and ranchers? I mean, we have partizanship, but I think the ag committees are still the most bipartisan.

00;29;47;09 - 00;30;04;06
Unknown
And I just think, I mean, it, it it's my way of contributing to agriculture. Yes. I have a small farm, not big enough for me to make a living off of, but I have a small farm. But I'm not going to, you know, farm full time ever. That's just not in my DNA right now. Didn't all fall together in the right way.

00;30;04;06 - 00;30;23;23
Unknown
So I think this is the way that I serve farmers is trying my best to make sure, especially at the national level, that the laws and the regulations are things that help them. And, you know, I can't imagine they can doing it for some other sector would give me the same joy. Right? Yeah. Awesome. Where can people find you?

00;30;23;25 - 00;30;47;15
Unknown
they can find me, at Syngenta at mary_k.thatcher@syngenta.com. they can probably look it up on the internet to be honest, and find my name somewhere, but, more than happy to take questions or comments or whatever. Help for sure. Yes. Yeah, that's great. And of course you're going to be at Women and Agribusiness Summit, in Denver this fall.

00;30;47;15 - 00;31;10;04
Unknown
So I, I'm like I said before, I'm really looking looking forward to that. hopefully we have some developments by then. Maybe not, but but we'll see. and, yeah, just thank you so much, Mary Kay. Great information. I think I could talk to you forever. Forward to seeing you in Denver and looking forward to seeing other folks.

00;31;10;07 - 00;31;23;04
Unknown
Awesome. And thanks to all who are watching or listening. If you want to learn more, all the links are provided in the show notes. Don't forget to subscribe to North American Spotlight on Spotify, Apple, Amazon. Listen notes or, if you prefer, prefer video. You can find us on Rumble

00;31;26;21 - 00;31;34;28
Unknown
The enter.