Agribusiness Council of Indiana Newsletter

AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL OF INDIANA NEWSLETTER

Promoting Agribusiness Policy in Indiana

December 8, 2017

Indiana Land Resource Council Meets

The Indiana Land Resource Council (ILRC) was created in state law to assist local and state decision-makers with land use tools and policies. The ILRC is composed of representatives from county and municipal governments, home building and land development, business, environmental interests, soil and water conservation districts, and forestry, as well as a land use expert and a farmer. The ILRC’s mission is to evaluate all types of land use, not just agricultural land use. The council met in November to discuss a variety of topics and heard presentations regarding a legislative report, an update from the Purdue Land Use Team, model zoning ordinances and an update on a Purdue CAFO study. You can click here for the November 15, 2017 ILRC meeting in West Lafayette.

TFI Government Affairs Committee Meets in Washington, DC

Source: The Fertilizer Institute

TFI's Government Affairs Committee met for a final time in 2017 this week. The meeting included presentations by two EPA officials, including Lee Forsgren, Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Office of Water, and Jeff Sands, the Agricultural Advisor to the EPA Administrator. For the Office of Water, the redo of the Waters of the U.S. rule will be a key focus in 2018. The office also plans to bolster the state/EPA relationship and support enhanced state responsibilities in the area of clean water permitting. Sands said his primary focus is being able to explain to the Administrator how agency policies affect farmers. Sands will also be reconsidering the direction of a federal advisory committee his office administers that is designed to provide advice to EPA on ag matters. He also shared that there may be opportunity for TFI to interface with a group EPA ag advisors, one in each EPA region, about TFI's 4R efforts.

Senators discuss NAFTA with President Trump, Commerce Secretary Ross

Source: NGFA President Randy Gordon

Six Republican U.S. senators met on Dec. 5 for lunch with President Trump and several key administration officials to discuss the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) amid concerns the president continues to evaluate whether at some point to issue a notice to withdraw from the accord.

Led by Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Deb Fischer, R-Neb., the luncheon reportedly included specific discussion about agricultural-related manufacturing jobs that NAFTA has contributed to the U.S. economy. Following the event, Ernst said she reiterated the importance of ensuring that Iowa agriculture remains competitive in the global market.

Meanwhile, Fischer posted a statement on her website saying that she had “a good conversation” with the president “on the importance of trade to Nebraska and to our country as a whole.” Fischer said she highlighted the significance of NAFTA to agricultural exports and related manufacturing jobs, and “stressed the need to safeguard the competitive advantage our agriculture producers and manufacturers have worked so hard to build.” She concluded by stating that she looked forward “to continuing these discussions with the president and his administration in the weeks to come.”

Also participating in the luncheon, which included discussion about tax reform legislation, were Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Lindsay Graham, R-S.C. Other administration officials present were U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and National Economic Council Chairman Gary Cohn.

Fischer also joined in a meeting on Dec. 6 organized by Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., with Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to discuss the status of NAFTA negotiations. Fischer said she again emphasized NAFTA’s value to Nebraska’s agricultural producers, manufacturers and exporters, and said Ross “was very forthcoming” about where the negotiations currently stand. Several other Republican members of the Senate Commerce Committee, including Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., also attended the meeting with Ross. Ross previously has criticized U.S. agricultural groups’ advocacy on behalf of NAFTA as undermining the Trump administration’s negotiating strategy. He also made statements in October that there was “not a world oversupply of agricultural products” and that harm to American food and agriculture interests from a potential NAFTA withdrawal was “an empty threat” since countries eventually would have no choice but to source from the United States. Those latter statements generated a statesmanlike Oct. 25 response from more than 80 agricultural organizations, including the NGFA and many of its State and Regional Affiliated Associations and member companies, pointing out the importance of NAFTA to a wide spectrum of U.S. agricultural sectors, as well as to the U.S. manufacturing, U.S. jobs and economic growth.

A bipartisan group of 18 senators from states with significant agricultural economies also followed up in a Nov. 20 letter to Ross calling for an economic analysis illustrating the impact on the full supply chain before any changes were made to NAFTA or “any other free trade agreement.” In the letter, the senators specifically requested such an economic analysis be conducted evaluating the impacts to crop and livestock sectors that would result from any change to NAFTA.

“Free trade agreements have allowed the U.S. agriculture industry to establish itself as a trusted supplier,” the senators’ letter read. “International markets have taken years to build, and it is imperative that no steps be taken to jeopardize these gains. We must continue to move the global presence of U.S. agricultural products forward, not backward.”

The senatorial letter was organized by Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., and also was signed by Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Moran, Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Ernst, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Luther Strange, R-Ala., Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Thune and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

Reminder: Rebuild Rural Coalition Request for Infrastructure Stories

As REBUILD RURAL continues to work to raise awareness for rebuilding rural infrastructure, please helpby consider identifying an anecdote from your respective organization or membership that conveys the need for investment in rural infrastructure and the impact that this investment would have on rural communities. Ideally, the best stories underscore both the breadth & depth of the need facing our rural communities. You can find a submission form for your stories HEREand an example of a completed submission HERE or attached hereunder. If you could please e-mail these stories to as soon as convenient, this will greatly help raise awareness of the need across Rural America. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration related to this endeavor.

Please contact Mark Shublak at or Lesa Dietrick at if you have any questions.