5 ways companies can push for resilient agricultural policies

The opinions expressed here by Trellis expert contributors are their own, not those of Trellis.

A growing number of companies, including Danone, Keurig Dr. Pepper and Stonyfield, are calling on policymakers to help manage risk and protect both producers and consumers from skyrocketing costs and supply chain shocks. 

The goal is not only stability in price and availability, but also policies that can propel the shift to more resilient and efficient methods of growing crops and raising livestock. 

The urgency is growing in the face of mounting pressures at home and from abroad. Last year, drought and other extreme weather, from record-shattering snow and ice storms to massive flooding, unleashed hundreds of billions in damages. Farmers and ranchers had to deal with these disruptions while navigating shifting policy dynamics. Pauses and rollbacks in federal funding impacted grants and incentives designed to help farmers make infrastructure upgrades and improve the efficiency of their operations. As a result, they lost valuable resources intended to help manage climate risk and stay profitable. 

These rollbacks didn’t just hurt farmers and ranchers. They created volatility in rasied prices and lowered the availability of key ingredients, such as dairy and beef products, for food manufacturers, while consumers faced rising costs and empty grocery store shelves. 

That’s why it’s time to pass a pragmatic farm bill. 

Safeguarding the U.S. food system

The draft farm bill introduced by House Republicans last month contains elements of the policies businesses need to address these challenges and keep the U.S. competitive, including provisions that would:

• Expand technical support for farmers to scale voluntary conservation with less paperwork and predictable timelines.
• Reform the Regional Conservation Partnership Program to make it easier for the private sector to co-invest with USDA in strengthening food system supply chains. 
• Maintain funding for popular programs that support conservation, rural development and agricultural research. These programs help farmers and ranchers become more efficient and productive as they adapt to a changing climate. 

Still, the bill fails to address key priorities needed to safeguard America’s food system and strengthen rural communities. Specifically, businesses can urge lawmakers to: 

• Fund conservation programs: Government-backed conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program keep farmers and ranchers in business. Producers who adopt practices that build soil health, safeguard water supplies, improve livestock management and integrate data management tools are better positioned to withstand extreme weather while maintaining productivity and reducing environmental impacts. These practices can also lower reliance on costly fertilizers, and allow producers to measure results over time to pinpoint the most effective approaches.

• Modernize data infrastructure: The current USDA data system isn’t serving many of the farmers and ranchers it’s meant to support. Modernizing the system will help producers and food companies better connect conservation practices with the outcomes they’re having in their fields and pastures. This makes it easier to identify supply chain risks — like areas most affected by climate or water challenges — and focus investments where they will have the greatest impact. 

• Make participation easier: Producers face barriers to participating in existing federal conservation and efficiency programs. Companies are looking to Congress to pass measures that streamline certification, clarify qualification pathways and improve transparency to scale voluntary, farmer-led conservation with less paperwork and a more predictable process. Doing so would expand access to proven practices beyond a handful of projects to communities across the county. 

• Give market assurance: When farmers and ranchers invest in conservation, both the communities where they work and the companies they supply stand to benefit. Yet the U.S. currently lacks a durable market that gives companies confidence that producers can sustain  commitments and gives producers a reliable way to sell their goods. Smart federal investments and policy solutions that reduce coordination barriers and strengthen the connections between producers and companies can make conservation practices financially viable and sustainable over the long term.

• Champion innovation and research: Investing in cutting-edge agriculture research is critical for U.S competitiveness. Other regions, including the European Union, Japan and Australia, are investing heavily in research on soil health, water efficiency and livestock innovation. At the same time, they’re streamlining pathways to bring new tools and technologies to market quickly and more efficiently. Without similar support, U.S. farmers, ranchers and businesses that depend on them risk falling behind. 

The road ahead

The good news is there’s real bipartisan momentum to pass a farm bill this year and businesses are standing up and speaking out to show their support. Recently on Capitol Hill, for example, business leaders joined farmers and ranchers to urge lawmakers to approve a targeted farm bill, that strengthens the nation’s food system and delivers economic opportunities for rural communities.