POTUS Asked What Ag Needs. This Is What I Told Him.

I think it’s fair to say the uncertainty created by COVID-19 has made some unimaginable circumstances and surreal encounters seem almost routine. There are certainly a few I’ll never forget. One in particular, however, merits discussing now.

In late April, working in my library, wearing jeans, I found myself on a conference call with the president of the United States.

Alongside a bipartisan collection of business and labor leaders called upon to collaborate for the common good, here was an opportunity to be of service to our country during a crisis and, most significantly, to relay urgent points on behalf of farmers and the agricultural industry.

Last June, when Corteva officially launched as the largest pure-play agriculture company in the world, we made a commitment to enrich the lives of producers and consumers around the world. We also built a bold, sustainability-driven vision for the future of farming, and we structured ourselves to lead that effort as public advocates. Whatever the challenges that confront our industry, we take them head on. Whenever farmers need to be heard, we endeavor to raise their voices.

I remain committed to bringing agriculture’s voice to the table. From testifying before Congress, to participating in last year’s “White House Summit on the Bioeconomy,” to having Corteva’s Regulatory Affairs and Government and Industry Affairs teams consistently compose thoughtful responses during public commentary periods, we continue to advocate for customers. Of course I have fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders, but I am also an American citizen who cares deeply about the health of our nation and the future we share — environmentally and otherwise — with the world. Our 21,000 dedicated professionals serve communities across more than 140 countries. Our commitment to enriching lives and the land doesn’t end at the American border, but it starts here.

Given this track record of advocacy, it wasn’t a total surprise when the White House Office invited us to participate. It was a pleasure to join Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, on the call. President Duvall is on record saying 2020 went from looking like an opportunity “to kick up and get back to normal” to proving “very difficult” for American growers. “You name it; we’ve been through it,” he lamented. We all know of what he speaks, and no one knows it better than a farmer.

To share my thoughts and concerns at adequate length, I arranged a follow-up with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and also drafted a letter for President Trump. In short, I saw my role and responsibility within the administration’s “Great American Economic Revival” initiative to definitively address two urgent questions: 1) What role should the agriculture industry and America’s farmers play in restoring the global economy? and 2) What policies will best support their success?

Without question, the global food chain will take time to fully recover from COVID-19, and this period of rebalancing will inhibit the ag industry’s ability to reinvest in American innovation and sustainable solutions, diminishing our capacity to compete globally via industry-leading technology. This is why I stressed that, as soon as possible, we need to provide U.S. farmers with the stability and certainty they need to make buying decisions. To that end, I relayed Corteva’s areas of focus for a healthy agriculture value chain going forward:

1. Access to labor
2. Access to capital
3. Trade market access
4. Investment in infrastructure

To elaborate on these key mandates, I have drawn the following points from letters I composed to President Trump and the USDA:

Access to labor can roughly be thought of as boots on the ground. And not just on farms — in labs and offices, too. Seasonal youth and migrant labor is essential to farm operations across our country. At Corteva alone, we employ 30,000 to 40,000 H2A seasonal workers and high school students to perform critical tasks in seed production necessary to assure our next year’s crop. Worker health and safety is paramount. No question. There is also no question that we need those workers safely in place. Let’s have the guidance and support to make that happen.

Access to capital is, on the one hand, self-explanatory and universal. However, American farmers and ranchers require a specific toolkit to withstand market uncertainties: commodity support, crop insurance, and custom credit programs specifically structured to support the stability and strength of the agricultural economy. Timely price and revenue support programs, with accommodating loan repayment terms (possibly extended to multi-year) will be critical. With the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), where funding is being exhausted, farmers are competing for loan relief among small businesses of all kinds. Stronger management and allocation of those resources to address the very specific and sensitive needs of small farm businesses are crucial to the long-term success of smaller American farms.

Trade market access is simply a fact that must be faced: stabilizing exports for the long term is fundamental to operating a successful food chain. Right now, trade agreement implementation, such as China Phase 1, needs to be expedited and product must keep moving. Achieving and maintaining this stability will drive opportunities to re-claim markets impacted by trade imbalances from the past few years. U.S. farmers need to make planting decisions now — and they need to know these markets will still be viable options for them at harvest.

Last, but far from least: Investment in infrastructure is integral to U.S. agriculture’s long-term competitive advantage. By fortifying the weak links within the food supply chain — like processing, preservation, storage, and marketing facilities — while also investing in broadband and other advanced digital technologies, we can not only positively influence the resiliency of farm communities right now, we can accelerate the overall progress of agriculture that our world was hungry for already. In a word: innovation. That’s where America has led for generations. That’s where America needs the infrastructure investments to lead for generations to come.

Am I optimistic that these steps can be taken and work? Absolutely. One way or another, Corteva will push for them on every viable front and in every appropriate forum. I invite the entire ag industry to join us.

Finally, while mindful of just how hard this pandemic is landing on some folks, there is another letter I wish I could send, another call I want to make. May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Somewhere, right now, a farmer is standing alone in their kitchen, surrounded by bills, and worries, and fears. And this is what I would write or say to them on the phone, if I could:

You are not alone. You are not forgotten. You matter more than you will ever know. You are a part of a broader family. We all need you. Please reach out to someone to talk.

And mark my words, friend: brighter, better days will rise from the grounds we cultivate together.