A stalled federal Farm Bill and rising market pressures took center stage during an agricultural newsmaker panel moderated by farm broadcasters Jesse Allen and DeLoss Jahnke. The discussion featured Ethan Lane, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA); Geoff Cooper, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA); and Rob Brenneman, President of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). Addressing the future of national agricultural policy, the leaders emphasized that while commodity groups remain united, political division in Washington continues to delay a comprehensive Farm Bill.
Farm Bill Stalled by Partisan Gridlock in Congress
With the 2018 legislation nearly a decade removed from its initial drafting, passing a modern Farm Bill has proven difficult. While the House Ag Committee reported out a bipartisan package with broad commodity backing, the Senate Ag Committee version has drawn criticism across farm country for contentious provisions and an uncertain path forward.
Geoff Cooper outlined the renewable fuels sector’s push to secure permanent, year-round sales of E15 nationwide. While the House passed standalone bipartisan legislation and the Senate Ag Committee included permanent E15 in its draft, Cooper noted that floor passage in the Senate requires 60 votes that do not appear to exist today. Disagreements over SNAP funding and other key titles threaten to push the package into a lame-duck session or delay the Farm Bill into the next Congress.
Cooper warned that even if the Senate acts, reconciling the House and Senate versions requires resolving conflicting language surrounding Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs). Biofuels advocates are watching government funding stopgaps as an alternative legislative vehicle. Cooper stressed that while temporary emergency waivers have allowed retailers to sell E15 during summer months, they do not provide the long-term regulatory certainty businesses need to make permanent pump and tank investments.
Livestock producers face similar hurdles in the legislative process. NPPC President Rob Brenneman pointed to California’s Proposition 12 as a prime reason why a federal fix is necessary within the Farm Bill. The House-passed version contains language to prevent a state-by-state patchwork of production mandates, but the Senate text omitted it. Brenneman stated that state mandates drive up consumer prices, suppress demand, and place heavy compliance costs on independent family operations.
Activist Spending Shapes the Farm Bill Livestock Debate
The panel addressed aggressive campaigns launched by outside activist organizations targeting animal agriculture. Lane highlighted the massive financial resources poured into livestock policy fights, noting that activist groups like American Meat Producers and Farm Action spent $30 million over roughly 40 days opposing the Save Our Bacon Act.
Lane warned producers and lawmakers to scrutinize where activist money originates, pointing out ties to anti-meat organizations aiming to divide livestock sectors. Brenneman agreed, emphasizing that producers across beef, pork, and grains must remain aligned against efforts that seek to regulate animal agriculture out of business.
Cattle Markets and Free-Market Trade Priorities
Ethan Lane pushed back against recurring headlines fixated entirely on U.S. cattle inventory sitting at a 75-year low. Lane explained that cattle numbers alone do not reflect modern production efficiency. Through genetics and management, cattlemen are producing more total beef volume today than in 2015 while delivering prime and choice grades that capture roughly 74% of every new consumer protein dollar.
Lane voiced frustration with federal efforts to intervene in cattle markets under the guise of lowering consumer prices, particularly as cattle producers rely on stronger prices to recover from regional droughts and severe input inflation.
Addressing attempts to include mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) in the Senate Farm Bill, Lane dismissed the proposal as costly and ineffective. Economic data from Kansas State University shows origin labeling ranks 11th out of 12 factors consumers evaluate when buying beef, with purchasing choices driven overwhelmingly by price and quality. Lane noted that MCOOL would add heavy regulatory overhead without increasing demand, whereas the voluntary “Product of USA” rule properly closes labeling loopholes while allowing producers to earn market premiums.
Lane also clarified the mechanics of beef trade, explaining that lean trim imports are necessary to blend with high-quality, grain-finished domestic fat trimmings to meet market demand for lean ground beef. On animal health, Lane praised federal authorities for managing the New World screwworm with a predictable, transparent reopening of southern border ports that protects herd health without disrupting trade logistics.
Expanding Biofuel Demand and Future Farm Bill Priorities
On market growth, Cooper reported strong global demand for American biofuels. U.S. ethanol exports are tracking toward a record 2.4 billion gallons this year, representing the equivalent of 800 to 900 million bushels of corn.
Domestically, California recently enacted legislation authorizing year-round E15 sales. As the second-largest gasoline market in the country, the move is projected to unlock between 600 and 700 million gallons of new ethanol demand once fuel retailers complete implementation. In contrast, trade access with China remains completely closed to U.S. ethanol and distillers dried grains (DDGS), underscoring the need to keep agriculture at the center of international trade policy.
The panelists closed by warning against government intervention in commodities, addressing rumors of diesel export bans or invoking the Defense Production Act to dictate refinery runs. Cooper explained that banning diesel exports would lead refiners to cut crude processing, inadvertently shrinking supplies of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
Both Lane and Brenneman reiterated that production agriculture depends on clear, undistorted free-market signals. Panelists urged Washington lawmakers to set aside partisan division, take cues from commodity groups working across industry lines, and deliver a practical Farm Bill that supports farm viability.
