What Does Agriculture Have to do With Politics?

How we can revolutionize agricultural policy, touching every American’s life

When many people think of farms, they picture endless fields in the middle of nowhere. They envision corn, soybeans, and wheat growing in the sun. They assume that the people riding tractors are mostly Trump-lovin’ rednecks who are mentally stuck in centuries past.

But what if such stereotypes could be disproven? Instead of viewing American agriculture as “boring” and “backward,” could it become an industry that harnesses virtually every other major political area of our lifetimes?

Donald Trump and Republican candidates have received significant support from ranchers and farmers. Have their policies actually shored up the profitability of American family farming…or simply slapped band-aids on the economic bleeding within Rural America? And, while Democrats often propose farmer-friendly and rancher-friendly congressional bills — why does their party establishment fail to hammer away on those solutions amidst the national dialogue seeking American prosperity?

Although U.S. farm subsidies have averaged close to $20 billion annually, they mainly fund the harvest of grains and legumes. Even more daunting: a dozen or so agribusiness giants control a lion’s share of food production and seeds within the United States. These companies include Bayer/Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta, John Deere, BASF, Cargill, and a handful of others.

This reality has led to relatively cheap American food prices, albeit with actual quality often sacrificed. The danger is a lack of bold innovation. If agribusiness continues farming almost exclusively in drought-prone, weather-dependent outdoor conditions, our future food supply could be irreparably endangered. Worse yet, an increase of mergers between these companies would drive up prices while placing essential food resources in even fewer powerful hands.

With the 2023 Farm Bill fast approaching, we have an incredible opportunity to set the stage for long-term stability of our food systems. Eliminating large agribusinesses isn’t realistic. I’m not proposing that. Instead, Democratic and Republican lawmakers together have an incredible opportunity to harness science, technology, and entrepreneurship so that U.S. agriculture ultimately becomes the truly competitive-and-open free market that capitalists are always touting.

I hope that domestic policy advisors to President Biden and Vice-President Harris will take note: as much as the mainstream media would like to ignore it, here are several ways in which agriculture can be intertwined with virtually every major political issue America faces:

JOB CREATION

New ways of growing food will inevitably lead to new employment opportunities. As science advances, crops and other food commodities can be grown in indoor farms, or, sometimes, in lab settings. Yes, some of this will eventually be automated. But the research and quality control necessary for safe crop production cannot be replaced with artificial intelligence in every scenario.

It should also be emphasized that traditional outdoor farming would still remain alive and well. This isn’t a call to close down what remains of the small family-owned farms throughout Rural America. On the contrary: smaller-scale and mid-sized farms and ranches should be eligible for grants and low-interest loans to help them expand.

If farmers don’t wish to grow food indoors with hydroponics or vertical towers, they must be empowered to improve their land with regenerative techniques such as agroforestry, adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing, or permaculture. Larger cities can get in on the action by opening up commercial urban farming facilities — such as Cleveland’s Ohio City Farm, Baltimore’s Real Food Farm, Seattle’s Rainier Beach Urban Farm, and Albuquerque’s Skarsgard Farms.

These upgrades, whether outdoors or indoors, cost money. Small- and medium-sized farmers generally don’t have disposable capital. Federal funds channeled to them through the USDA, for these purposes, would mitigate risk and diversify our food sources. Naturally, these farmers and ranchers will need to hire more employees as their operations grow.

Are you listening, Secretary Vilsack? Secretary Raimondo? Secretary Walsh?

CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon sequestration is done on farms that practice reforestation, soil refertilization, peatland restoration, green ammonia manufacturing, and biochar production. These “carbon farming” practices are quickly gaining popularity amongst larger agribusinesses. But, again, many small farms need financial incentives for making this transition without facing bankruptcy. Ultimately, farms need to remain profitable so they can continue to exist.

American consumption of beef, pork, and poultry isn’t going away anytime soon. For you eco-friendly folks who want to see a decrease in meat consumption along with an increase in people eating plant-based products, the crop diversity that could accompany carbon-capture farming methods should lend itself to that.

People won’t stop eating meat altogether. But greater consumer access to crops that are herbaceous and nutrient-rich will only be net-positive for the environment.

Do you see room for synergy, Secretary Regan?

HEALTH CARE

By that same token, healthier American diets resulting from a more localized, diverse, and affordable new food supply will lead to decreased rates of obesity, hypertension, and cancer. In the long run, this would bring down health care costs. The physical health benefits would be a given. But newfound mental health prosperity brought to Americans who gain pleasure and pride from working in sustainability jobs should make a difference, as well.

Let me be clear: sustainable agriculture isn’t a substitution for actual systemic health care reform (whatever those future health delivery models might look like). Rather, agri-sustainability and health care reform go hand-in-hand, as complements to one another.

Will you join us, Secretary Becerra?

FAIR TRADE

In order to make a livable profit, farmers need to be able to export their products to other countries. On the flip side, if we remain dependent on other countries for importing so many of our fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, cacao, and other specialty crops, America puts itself at the mercy of those nations’ economic volatility.

The solution is broad but simple: American farms, ranches, and plantations need to harvest more of these distinctive commodities. This will force global competition and keep runaway price inflation at bay. Across U.S. states with colder temperatures, the perfection of reliable indoor farming techniques must become widespread. This will only happen with an infusion of more R&D to hone food science.

Imagine a scenario where papayas could be grown, hydroponically or from indoor vertical towers of soil, in the middle of winter in Pennsylvania. Or where a large-scale indoor cacao breeding facility (similar to the International Cocoa Quarantine Centre in the U.K.’s Berkshire County) could be built across acres of land in Wyoming. We’re not there, yet — but we’re never going to get there if we fail to invest.

Greater U.S.-based crop diversification gives us more leverage in future trade deals. That’s a victory for American businesses of all sizes.

Can this be worked out, Secretary Tai?

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

As fossil fuels become scarcer, humanity will be forced to engineer new sources of powering buildings and vehicles. It’s going to happen, one way or the other. Wouldn’t it be smarter for Americans to become forerunners of these future industries…and cash in on them, when the time comes?

Many energy sources of tomorrow could be grown on farms, today. This extends beyond just wind turbines or solar panels.

Biomass and biofuels. Coastal wave energy. Geothermal reservoirs. These are amongst the plethora of futuristic power sources that can be produced on regenerative farms or aquacultural facilities. Even better: many of these same raw materials could provide us with a foundation to engineer new plastic-substitutes. They’d be harvested for these additional purposes long before fossil fuels themselves actually become obsolete.

Is this a reasonable path forward, Secretary Granholm?

WATER PROTECTION

Underused farming methods such as hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, and soil-based vertical farms utilize a fraction of water quantities consumed by traditional outdoor field agriculture. While the science still needs to advance to a point where indoor farms can be scaled up in cost-effective ways, food production shielded from natural elements would alleviate much of the drought draining our lakes and rivers.

For those who prefer to continue farming outdoors: there are less water-intensive methods that can be adopted. Drip irrigation, micro-sprinklers, and phytoremediation top the list of ways in which existing farms can produce high yields while conserving water.

Isn’t this long-overdue, Secretary Haaland?

EDUCATION

Nurturing the next generations of America’s farmers is paramount. If the Millennial, Zoomer/Centennial, and Alpha generations are going to pick up this torch, agri-science must become more prominent in schools. Both elective classroom courses and afterschool programs can provide this education. Whether it’s through public schools, Montessori or Waldorf schools, Hillsdale charter schools, or the U.S. Green Building Council — greater implementation of ag-friendly activities will breed more local leaders. These young leaders will expand their knowledge and skill throughout our society as a whole.

When gardening and “living laboratories” are infused into K-12 schools, two-to-four-year colleges, and trade schools: young people will be inspired to go into fields such as entomology, agronomics, and sustainable engineering. This would guarantee that we, as a society, continue to innovate well into the 22nd Century.

And, of course, there will be additional jobs generated due to the necessary infrastructure required to construct many of these cutting-edge spaces in school buildings.

Do you see value in this, Secretary Cardona? Secretary Buttigieg?

Agri-sustainability has the potential to be pro-business and scientifically-lucrative, while directly benefitting politicians’ constituents in every U.S. state or territory. When the Biden/Harris Administration talks about “battling for the soul of our nation” — what better way to accomplish that than getting Americans excited about transforming this economic and cultural driving force?

Please stay tuned for my upcoming piece on how the 2023 Farm Bill can be structured to include these crucial reforms.