Podcasts about afbf

Up to $1 billion was set aside in December for specialty crop growers to receive financial help through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program.

In 2025, Chapter 12 bankruptcies increased for the second year in a row, reaching 315 filings, a 46% increase from 2024, and ag groups applauded the Senate Finance Committee hearing to highlight the importance of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, emphasizing the need for renewal.

With the review process of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement sent to begin later this year, the Senate Finance Committee took a closer look at the deal last week.

Newly released farm income data confirms the economic crisis in rural America is real, and American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says the solution could be found in passing a new farm bill.

The National Peanut Board will hold its tri-annual board and committee meetings March 2–4, in Atlanta, and a new American Farm Bureau Market Intel Report says Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies increased for the second year in a row.

A bipartisan bill introduced last month by California state legislators would create a tax credit to offset the cost to farmers of paying overtime, and a new American Farm Bureau Market Intel Report says Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies increased for the second year in a row.

California delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation succeeded in advancing several changes to the organization's policy on water use and table wine, and CattleCon 2026 breaks all-time attendance record, with over 9,400 converging on Nashville.

The USDA projects that net farm income will slip lower in 2026 and remain about $48 billion under the record highs of 2022.

Regenerative Ag in the MAHA era: An in-depth conversation about regenerative agriculture featuring: MOFB member Ryan Britt, Shelby Myers with Farm Credit, Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, President of Field to Market, and panel moderator Samantha Ayoub, Economist, AFBF. This week's Digging In Podcast is focused on regenerative agriculture. The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement is driving online conversation and influencing policy making. Regenerative agriculture, pesticides and other sustainability tools are some of the many themes associated with the MAHA movement. This workshop focused on sustainability on the farm, techniques farmers are using, potential federal program impacts and how agriculture is producing more with less. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to have Digging In sent directly to your smart device each time it's released! Host: Jacob King, Missouri Farm Bureau Video & Audio Media Specialist Guest: AFBF Anaheim Regenerative Ag in the MAHA era Panel Producer: Jacob King, Missouri Farm Bureau Video & Audio Media Specialist

Commodity groups are still on edge. They're grasping what tariffs mean globally and they're trying to find ways around the system to keep sales going. U.S. corn has remained competitive. That's the good news from Jed Bower, president of the National Corn Growers Association. Jill Welke does a deeper dive into global challenges as well as domestic obstacles that look to stall out corn growers profit potential.Improving temperatures help us enjoy our Wednesday, but Stu Muck says there's a slight chance of snow tomorrow morning.Sales activity remains robust for the Steffes Auction Group. Ashley Huhn from the Steffes Group tells Pam Jahnke about some new acreage that's coming up for auction in western Wisconsin this month. He also highlights the online information people can find to help guide sales on their website. Paid for by Steffes Group.The American Farm Bureau Federation's reminding consumers that very little of the money they spend on food this weekend(or any weekend) for the Super Bowl ends up back at the farm gate. Faith Parum, economist for AFBF says only 15.9 cents of every food dollar makes it back to a grower.Super Bowl weekend is big business for the food industry though. One staple that's found its way to the top of the menu - chicken wings. Kiley Allan finds out how the chicken industry prepares for their big day, and what the origin of wings even is! She speaks with Tom Super, Senior Vice President of Communications, National Chicken Council.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Super Bowl Sunday is consistently one of the highest demand days for food across the U.S., supporting the farm economy.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says a balanced diet shouldn't be about elevating one food group over another.

Dozens of agricultural groups expressed concern about the dire economic conditions U.S. farmers face, and strong consumer demand for protein bodes well for the U.S. dairy industry.

Headlines on today's episode include:-New World screwworm continues to move north-AFBF warns Congress of deepening economic crisis in rural America-Recent severe winter weather could impact further ag transportation system-New uses of soybeans bringing long-term sustainability-Are state failure to warn bills on hold?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new Market Intel illustrates that, despite recent assistance payments, the U.S. farm economy is still in trouble. Chad Smith has the story.

On this week's Digging In, it's the legislative panel from the AFBF Convention. AFBF President Zippy Duvall moderates the conversation featuring the ‘corner four' of the Senate & House Agriculture committees as they discuss the ag economy and their focus for the new year. One thing to note, this session was recorded prior to President Trump signing the Whole Milk for Healthy kids Act, which has since been signed. The panel includes Duvall, Senate Ag Committee Chair, John Boozeman (R-AR), Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), House Ag Committee Chair GT Thompson (R-PA) and Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN) Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to have Digging In sent directly to your smart device each time it's released! Host: Jacob King, Missouri Farm Bureau Video & Audio Media Specialist Guest: AFBF Anaheim Legislative Panel Producer: Jacob King, Missouri Farm Bureau Video & Audio Media Specialist

For the second time in four years, Alabama is home to the nation's top young farm family, and U.S. agricultural land market is shifting after years of steady growth.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says Congress must take action now to ensure that farmers and ranchers can survive.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture and the USDA confirm the year's first case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza at a commercial poultry operation, and farmer and rancher delegates attended the American Farm Bureau Federation's 107th annual convention.

The USDA in Washington state has technical and financial assistance available to help producers recover from flooding, and farmer and rancher delegates attended the American Farm Bureau Federation's 107th annual convention.

While some progress has been made in stabilizing the farm economy through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program and Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, recent numbers show farmers still need help.

On today's AgCast News, we will visit with Alabama Farmers Federation members and staff who recently returned from the American Farm Bureau annual convention in Anaheim, California. As a part of our coverage, we will get Drew Wendland's reaction to winning the national Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award, along with his wife Lauren. We will also check in with Morgan Desselle, of our External Affairs team, on what's going on at the Alabama Legislature. Plus, we are excited to start a new segment of the AgCast. Chris Prevatt, our in-house economist, will report on the commodity markets and what to look out for in the future.Sign up for Capitol Connection here.Get the latest on the markets here.Find out more about our sponsor, Alabama Ag Credit, and also about Alabama Farmers Federation.

House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders traveled to California for the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual convention where the group agreed ag labor is one of the top issues they hear about. We spoke with Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., and ranking member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in an exclusive joint interview touching on year-round E15, the future of the farm bill and ag labor reform. Plus, House Ag's chairman, Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Penn., and ranking member, Angie Craig, D-Minn., join the show to discuss a farm bill 2.0 timeline and what they'd like to see included in the bill.Plus, we connected with American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall to learn what he was hearing from members at the convention and how the current farm economy compares to the 1980s farm crisis.Want to receive Newsmakers in your inbox every week? Sign up! http://eepurl.com/hTgSAD

The 107th American Farm Bureau Convention concluded in Anaheim, CA with the voting delegates voting on 2026 policy. AFBF President Zippy Duvall explains why this policy is still so important and why he has hope for 2026.

Today on the Digging in Podcast, we begin highlighting some of the speakers at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention. Starting with none other than USDA Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. Here are her remarks from the general session earlier this week. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to have Digging In sent directly to your smart device each time it's released! Host: Jacob King, Missouri Farm Bureau Video & Audio Media Specialist Guest: Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture Producer: Jacob King, Missouri Farm Bureau Video & Audio Media Specialist

USDA Secretary Rollins announced at the AFBF convention that the Dairy Margin Coverage program enrollment is now open through February 26th!

Eugene's Fall Creek Farm & Nursery's PeachyBlue blueberry variety has delivered outstanding retail results at Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide, and this week's American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim included a rare joint appearance of all four leaders of the congressional ag committees.

USDA's December Crop Production report forecasts 2025-26 cotton production at nearly 14.3 million bales, 1.1% over last month's forecast, and this week's American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim included a rare joint appearance of all four leaders of the congressional ag committees.

Alyssa Clements of Clay County finished second in the national American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture competition. Competing against contestants from all 50 states, Clements says it was an honor to represent her state and earn a second-place finish at the national level.

Headlines on today's episode include:-Where Did USDA Find More Corn?-Grassley shocked by USDA report-Ad hoc aid supporting farmland values-Prop 12 discussions take place at AFBF convention-Wheat exports to pick back upSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA have released the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans marking a significant reset of federal nutrition policy, and farmers need rules that clearly define federal jurisdiction of the Waters of the United States.

Ohio Farm Bureau made a strong showing at the 107th American Farm Bureau Convention, with nine counties featured in the County Activities of Excellence Showcase and three members competing in Young Farmer and Rancher events. On this episode, the competitors discuss their respective contests, how they prepared and what this national experience means to them.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says no one in agriculture needs to, nor should they have to, face mental health issues alone.

In the final part of a series on the Waters of the US (WOTUS) rule, Courtney Briggs from the American Farm Bureau Federation explains the importance of defining two key terms: relatively permanent waters and continuous surface connection.

Today on the Digging in Podcast, MOFB President Garrett Hawkins joins the program. With the start of 2026, it's “New Year, New Opportunities.” We're highlighting the upcoming AFBF annual meeting in Anaheim. As well as breaking down MOFB's key priorities for the year ahead, from the federal level down to the ballot box. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to have Digging In sent directly to your smart device each time it's released! Host: Janet Adkison, Missouri Farm Bureau Director of Public Affairs Guest: Garrett Hawkins, Missouri Farm Bureau President Producer: Jacob King, Missouri Farm Bureau Video & Audio Media Specialist

The conversation is part of a series on the Waters of the US (WOTUS) rule updates. Courtney Briggs from the American Farm Bureau Federation discusses a proposed rule by the EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers that aims to align with Supreme Court decisions on WOTUS.

The conversation discusses the Waters of the US (WOTUS) regulation under the Clean Water Act, highlighting its complex history and lack of clear definition, leading to decades of debate over federal regulatory reach

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins and other ag influencers will be featured speakers at the 107th American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim, California, and the USDA will host six international Agribusiness Trade Missions in 2026.

Ag Secretary Rollins and Congressional Ag Leaders to Speak at AFBF Convention in Anaheim

“Rooted in Resilience” is the theme for the American Farm Bureau Federation's 2026 Young Farmer & Rancher Conference, set for March 13–16 in Portland.

Winners of the Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers 2025 competitive events prepare for national competitions at the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention, andUSDA approves stricter limits on what Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients can buy.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says the Regenerative Pilot Program advances goals while respecting farmers.

During a recent phone call with Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall took the opportunity to discuss two important issues facing agriculture. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year, volunteer shoppers from the American Farm Bureau Federation help determine the average cost of feeding ten people for a Thanksgiving meal. Faith Parum, an economist with AFBF, said consumers should expect some slight relief at the grocery store. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The American Farm Bureau Federation's annual Thanksgiving Cost Survey results show a slight dip in costs this year. Chad Smith tells us how much.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Julia Anna Potts, President and CEO of the Meat Institute, about her career, background, lifelong interest in agriculture and food, and how she joined the Meat Institute following a career in environmental law. The discussion covers the role of the Meat Institute in the food supply chain and how it serves member companies and the food industry in general, through its food safety best practices and a free online course, "The Foundations of Listeria Control." Julia reveals the Protein PACT initiative and explains how food safety relates to risk management with their shared values. She tells how meat processors are good community members. Listen for advice on the culture of safety and how it starts at the very top of the organization.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by Julia Anna Potts, the CEO of the Meat Institute. We'll discuss food safety and education, and risk frameworks that the Institute uses to ensure that our food and supply chains are clean. But first… [:47] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM will be held on December 3rd and 4th. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA will be held on December 4th and 5th. These are virtual courses. [1:03] Links to these courses can be found through the Certifications page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:11] RIMS Virtual Workshops! On November 19th and 20th, Ken Baker will lead the two-day course, "Applying and Integrating ERM." [1:24] "Managing Data for ERM" will be led again by Pat Saporito. That session will start on December 11th. Registration closes on December 10th. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:40] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:52] This episode is released on November 18th, 2025, Day Two of the RIMS ERM Conference in Seattle, Washington. We've covered a lot of ERM ground in the last few episodes. For more ERM, click the link to the RIMS ERM Special Edition of Risk Management magazine in the notes. [2:18] RIMScast ERM coverage is linked as well. Enhance your ERM knowledge with RIMS! [2:24] On with the show! Our guest is Julie Anna Potts. She is the President and CEO of the Meat Institute. She leads the Institute in implementing programs and activities for the association. [2:38] She is an agricultural veteran, previously serving the American Farm Bureau Federation as its Executive Vice President. [2:47] With Thanksgiving coming up next week in the U.S., I thought this would be a great time on RIMScast to talk about food safety, food production, and what another not-for-profit is doing to ensure the safety of our products and the speed and efficiency of our supply chain. [3:07] We're going to have a lot of fun and talk turkey, so let's get to it! [3:12] Interview! Julie Anna Potts, welcome to RIMScast! [3:27] Julie Anna Potts and RIMS CEO, Gary LaBranche, are both part of the Committee of 100 with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. They get together with other association heads across industries. Julie Anna says it is very valuable. [3:44] Julie Anna and Gary were talking in the summer about food safety and about what the Meat Institute does, and Gary invited her to be on RIMScast. [3:57] Justin notes that it is the week before Thanksgiving in the U.S. Juliana says they are doing so much in Washington now, and food safety is always top-of-mind around the holidays. There are lots of turkeys and turkey products being sold in the United States. [4:45] Julie Anna says turkey is cultural for Thanksgiving, and poultry, and how you cook it and handle it in the kitchen is incredibly important for food safety. [5:01] Justin asks, Is fish meat? Julianna says fish is protein, but we don't classify it as meat or poultry. Justin wants to keep the argument going with his family at Thanksgiving. [5:31] Julie Anna says they have lots of arguments around the Meat Institute, like whether ketchup belongs on hot dogs. Julie Anna says the answer to that is no. [5:41] Julie Anna has been at the Meat Institute for a little over seven years. She came in as President and CEO. She has been in Washington for most of her career, since undergrad. She graduated from law school in D.C. and worked at a firm. [5:59] Julie Anna has been in agriculture, representing farmers for years. She went to the Senate as Chief Counsel of the Senate Agriculture Committee. She has been at the Meat Institute for the last seven years. [6:19] Food and agriculture have been central to Julie Anna's career and also to her family life. Her husband grew up on a farm. Julie Anna is two generations off the farm. [6:32] They love to cook, dine out, and eat with their children; all the things you do around the holidays, and gather around the Thanksgiving table. They have passed to one of their three children their love of food traditions. She's their little foodie. [6:52] Julie Anna has a career and a personal life that is centered around food. [7:11] The Meat Institute members are the companies that slaughter animals and do further processing of meat. They are in the supply chain between livestock producers and retail and food service customers. [7:35] To be a general member of the Meat Institute, you have to have a Grant of Inspection from the Food Safety Inspection Service of the USDA. The Federal Grant of Inspection is a requirement to be able to operate and to sell into the market. [7:56] When we look at the capacity we have at the USDA, in the last several months, we're not seeing a decline in capacity, but more emphasis on our Food Safety Inspection Service. [8:18] Through DOGE, voluntary retirements, through additional resources coming in with the One Big Beautiful Bill, and through recruiting, the Meat Institute is seeing its member companies have staffing, even through this government shutdown. They're considered essential, as always.  [8:54] The Meat Institute was established in 1906 for the purpose of addressing food safety and industry issues. Those are Jobs One, Two, and Three, every day. The Meat Institute has all kinds of education it offers to its members. [9:15] The members of the Meat Institute have strong food safety programs. They have HASSA Plans and third-party audits. The Meat Institute helps any member company of any size, from 25 employees to global companies, with education on, for example, Listeria training.   [9:53] The Meat Institute has just launched an online platform that has had great uptake. If you have associates in your business who have never had food safety training, for all levels of folks, there is online, free, and freely available training on how to deal with Listeria. [10:19] All the Meat Institute member companies have significant Food Safety staffing and Food Safety Quality Assurance Programs. Julie Anna praises the people throughout the industry who work in Food Safety for their companies. It's a life-or-death matter. [10:45] Food Safety staff are always seeking to become better, so the Meat Institute has a Food Safety Conference and Advanced Listeria Training (an in-person module). They interface with the regulators, who are partners with the Meat Institute in this.  [11:14] The Meat Institute is always striving for better Best Management Practices across everyone's programs, which are never just the minimum. A philosophy of doing just what is compliant does not get you into the best space. [11:36] The Meat Institute is here to encourage Best in Class, always. Food Safety is non-competitive in the Meat Institute. Everyone across the different-sized companies, from 25 employees to 100,000, can feel comfortable sharing what's working for them. [12:06] That is important when it comes to conferences and other things they do. Let's be candid with each other, because nobody can get better if you're not. [12:17] The Meat Institute has seen cultural issues where CEOs don't think about Food Safety and Quality Assurance because they have great people taking care of it. That's true a lot of the time, until it isn't. [12:42] The tone that needs to be set at the very top of the organization is that this is hugely important for risk management. Hugely important for your brand and your ability to operate. [12:56] The Meat Institute board asked, if we are pushing culture down through the organization, what kinds of questions do I need to ask, not just my Food Safety Team, but everyone, and demonstrating my knowledge, understanding, and commitment to governance of this big risk? [13:31] The Meat Institute created a template of a set of questionnaires for executives. It is a C-Suite document and documentation. [13:47] It's a voluntary questionnaire for a CEO, regardless of company size, indicating that you understand how important this is in ensuring that everything that you push down through your organization, culturally, is focused on Food Safety. [14:05] The link to the Listeria Safety Platform is in this episode's show notes. [14:11] Justin says the structure of the Meat Institute is very similar to the structure of RIMS, with open communications and knowledge-sharing, or else the industry does not grow or improve. [14:27] Justin says it sounds like the industry executives are stepping up their game amid the tumult coming out of Washington. Julie Anna agrees. [14:47] Julie Anna says the Meat Institute has been driving that progress. It is incredibly important. Julie Anna thinks that in a lot of industries, there is a pull and tug between the companies and regulators. [15:07] In the case of meat and poultry inspection and what the Meat Institute does with FSIS, it is a collaboration. The inspectors verify for consumers what the companies are doing to keep food safe. [15:28] It is up to the company to decide how it is going to do this effectively and successfully and get better at it. [15:41] Numerous third parties do audits and help customers across the supply chain, but the responsibility rests with the companies. [15:59] The Meat Institute staff has highly technical people who come out of academia, out of the plant, having done FSQA, Legal, and safety regulations. There are folks who have been in inspection in the government at FSIS. [16:29] The Meat Institute has several staff whose job it is to stay on top of the latest improvements and ensure that everybody knows what those are, and in dialogue with our FSIS inspection leadership here in Washington, D.C. [16:46] The Meat Institute looks to FSIS to make sure that consumer confidence is there. It does nothing for our industry if consumers think that FSIS isn't being an effective regulator. [17:11] The Meat Institute companies have to be the ones that do more than the bare minimum to ensure they're doing the best they can. The Meat Institute's philosophy is always to push further and further. [17:25] There is an expense associated with that. The Meat Institute does its best to help manage that risk for its companies by giving them everything they need to be the best that they can be. [17:40] The Meat Institute has 36 employees. They are very transparent in the Food Safety world. They want non-members to take advantage of all their resources in Food Safety. A lot of the things they offer on education and regulations can be accessed without being a member. [18:14] The Meat Institute has recently joined an alliance to stop food-borne illness and is looking to get more engaged in that organization. That's across several segments, not just meat and poultry. [18:35] The Meat Institute has committed and re-committed over the years to the efforts it makes with its companies. The Meat Institute looks for its companies to be leaders in the Food Safety space. [18:53] Quick Break! The RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management is our live virtual program led by the famous James Lam. Great news! A third cohort has been announced, from January through March 2026! [19:14] Registration closes January 5th. Enroll now. A link is in this episode's show notes. [19:22] Save the dates March 18th and 19th, 2026, for The RIMS Legislative Summit, which will be held in Washington, D.C. [19:31] Join us in Washington, D.C., for two days of Congressional Meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. Visit RIMS.org/Advocacy for more information and updates and to register. [19:45] We've got more plugs later. Let's return to our interview with Meat Institute CEO Julie Anna Potts! [19:56] Julie Anna says a lot of our companies are also regulated by the FDA because they do further processing. For example, pizzas with pepperoni, or any number of mixed products that have both FDA and USDA regulatory personnel on site. [20:20] FSIS is, by far, more present and more in tune with what member companies are doing than the inspectors at the FDA. [20:30] Justin asks if restaurants can be members of the Meat Institute. There is a segment of membership called Allied Members, which includes restaurants and grocery stores. If they are not processors, but they are procuring meat and poultry for sale, they are in the meat industry. [21:09] The Meat Institute has had a great deal of interaction on many issues with its retail and food service customers. [21:25] Shortly after she joined the Meat Institute, Julie Anna was handed a mandate from the board to be proactive and lean in on the things consumers are interested in with an initiative to continue to maintain or rebuild trust. [21:48] These are things like food safety, animal welfare, environmental impact, and worker safety. They call this initiative Protein PACT (People, Animals, and the Climate of Tomorrow). Food Safety is front and center in Protein PACT. [22:13] The Meat Institute has a way of focusing its efforts through this lens of improvement in five areas that work together to reassure consumers. When they know that you're working on all these issues and trying to improve, it increases trust in all the above issues. [22:54] Retail and Food Service customers in the industry want to know more and more. They want to know upstream, what are you doing to get better? [23:05] They want to know how they can take the data that you are collecting anonymously and in the aggregate to communicate at the point-of-sale area to ensure that their customers, collectively, are getting what they need? [23:23] Julie Anna saw this recently at H-E-B, a popular grocer in Texas. Julie Anna walked through one of their huge, beautiful, newly renovated stores. The engagement the ultimate customer has is in the store, asking questions of the butcher. [24:07] It's wonderful to be able to say, If you have food safety concerns, we have a relationship that we can give you the knowledge you need to answer those concerns, and it's coming very consistently across the industry. [24:40] Justin asks, When the Meat Institute members lean in, are they leaning in at 85% or 93%? You'll only get ground beef jokes here, on RIMScast! Julie Anna says, it's all good. Justin says those kinds of jokes are called The Manager's Special. [25:17] One Final Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. Guess what! Booth sales are open now! [25:37] This is the chance to showcase your solutions, meet decision-makers face-to-face, and expand your global network. Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with us at the largest risk management event of the year. The link to booth sales is in this episode's show notes. [25:53] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Meat Institute CEO Julie Anna Potts! [26:16] Julie Anna was an environmental lawyer in private practice. Her work involved the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and Superfund. One of her clients was the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). [26:42] When Julie Anna left the firm, she moved in as General Counsel to the AFBF, the largest general farm organization in the U.S. Besides environmental law, she worked there in lots of other types of law as General Counsel. [27:06] At the Meat Institute, Julie Anna collaborates with the AFBF. The ag sector in Washington, D.C., is very collaborative. The Meat Institute works closely with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the National Pork Producers Council, and the commodity groups. [27:35] Everybody is connected. If you are working on an animal issue, you're going into crop groups and animal health companies. The Meat Institute works with everyone. Their philosophy is, We all get better when we share knowledge. [28:03] That's the basis of the conversation Julie Anna and Gary LaBranche had in the summer about this podcast. The Meat Institute has resources it would love to share on the risk management of food safety issues. [28:20] The Meat Institute also knows consultants and other help outside of the meat industry that they can point people to, as needed. The Meat Institute would love to be a resource to the listeners of RIMScast. You can check out the contact information in the show notes. [29:02] Julie Anna is familiar with risk professionals. She serves on the board of Nationwide Insurance. Nationwide Agribusiness has Food Safety expertise. When Julie Anna practiced law, she worked with clients on helping them manage risk and assess potential outcomes. [30:09] Julie Anna says risk management is one of her favorite topics. How do you plan to recover from a flood after a hurricane? How do you plan for farm animal disease? There are now three animal disease outbreaks that are constantly on their minds at the Meat Institute. [30:31] The Meat Institute helps run tabletop exercises with its companies, sometimes involving government officials, as well. It's New World Screwworm to the South. It's High Path Avian Influenza, which has crossed over from poultry to dairy and beef cattle.  [30:48] Julie Anna continues, We have African Swine Fever, which has not gotten to the United States, thank goodness! All of these require a certain level of preparedness. So we work on it as a policy matter, but we also need to operationalize what happens when this happens. [31:16] The pandemic is a good recent example of what happens when things fall apart. Member companies have a very limited ability to hold live animals if they're not going to slaughter. They don't have anywhere to go. [31:44] The pandemic was an example of what happens when something reduces capacity and the animals start backing up. It's incredibly important that things work. The pandemic was unimaginable to a lot of people. It tested our risk management models. [32:10] Once we were there, dealing with it, we had incredible adaptability to the circumstances we were facing. That only happens if you face certain problems every day to keep that plant running. For member companies, if the plants don't run, the animals don't have a place to go. [32:37] Farmers get a lower price for their animals, consumers have the perception that there's not going to be enough food, and there's a run on the grocery stores. During the pandemic, it righted itself really quickly, once we got some PPE, etc. in place, and some guidance. [32:59] The member companies relied heavily on the CDC to tell them how to get people in so the plants could run. It was difficult for everyone. Julie Anna thinks that we learned a lot from that experience on how to help your company troubleshoot in the moment to keep going. [33:37] Julie Anna addresses how PFAS issues are being handled. It's an EPA issue and a state's issue for regulations on packaging and recycling. The state issues are predominant. Environmental issues are being addressed at the state level. We could end with 50 regimes. [35:04] That's where there's more risk for the Meat Institute and its members, especially companies that sell nationwide. There is very little state regulatory work that the Meat Institute does directly. [35:26] The Meat Institute is examining how to utilize other resources to figure out, with a small staff, how to monitor and stay ahead of these things for our members. That's very much on their minds. The EPA's work has been swinging back and forth between administrations. [36:02] It's hard to convince a business of a good recommendation if the rules are going to change with the next administration. It's a problem of where to invest in things like measuring emissions and what to do to satisfy customers when the rhetoric changes dramatically. [37:04] Justin says we've had a different administration every four years for the last 16 years. He says if he were a business owner, he would do everything he could to make sure the water coming in and going out is clean to avoid verdicts. Nuclear verdicts are through the roof. [37:27] Julie Anna speaks of social inflation by juries wishing to send a message to big corporate entities. She says member companies are dealing with these issues all the time. What's the right amount of rulemaking for effluent limitation guidelines? [38:20] The Meat Institute had opposed what the Biden administration had proposed, given that the number of companies it estimated would not be able to stay in business was close to 80. The Trump administration has backed off and is leaving in place what was there before. [38:52] That's all part of the Federal policy debate in D.C. It does not diminish the commitment its members have to be good community members. They work in their communities. Julie Anna was just down in East Tennessee at a wonderful family company, Swaggerty Sausage. [39:16] They do water treatment. They are beloved in the community because of how they take care of people. They bring in pigs from North Carolina and turn them into sausage. Julie Anna met the fifth generation. He is eight months old. [39:40] Julie Anna had a great visit with people, understanding how their commitment to the environment and animal welfare, and the things they can show their community members that they are doing, works for them. Julie Anna saw how the sausage is made, Justin adds. [40:28] Justin says, You've been such a delight to speak with, and we've learned so much. Is this the busiest time of year for your members, with Thanksgiving coming up, the religious holidays coming up, and then New Year's? Are they keeping Safety at the top of their risk radar now? [40:59] Julie Anna says Our members, and we, keep Safety at the top of the risk radar every single day. It does not get harder during high-volume days. [41:15] There's a spike around Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. There's a lot more turkey happening around Thanksgiving and possibly Christmas, but certainly, hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, brisket, and all kinds of things. It's cyclical. [41:49] Julie Anna wishes Justin could come into a plant with her, walk through, and see the number of times there are interventions for food safety. X-rays for foreign material. Sprays for certain types of pathogens, and the ways in which the hide is treated. [42:14] It is such a huge part, and they are so proud of what they do. They are happy to show anybody how we continue to hold that up as the most important thing. Worker Safety is also hugely important. We're talking about our humans and what we do to protect them. [42:42] Safety is really important, and it does not receive any less attention at busy times. [42:50] Justin says that's a great sentiment to close on. It has been such a delight to speak with you, and I'm so glad we had the chance to do this. It's going to be especially impactful now, just ahead of Thanksgiving and the religious holidays, and the New Year. [43:16] Special thanks to Julie Anna Potts of the Meat Institute for joining us here on RIMScast just ahead of Thanksgiving 2025. Links to the Meat Institute resources are in this episode's show notes, as is RIMS coverage of Food Safety and related topics. [43:34] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [44:02] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [44:20] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [44:38] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [44:54] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [45:09] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [45:21] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | Jan‒March 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! 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Brian Glenn, director of government affairs at American Farm Bureau Federation, joins us to discuss AFBF's response to the recent MAHA report "Making Our Children Healthy Again Strategy." Jay Theiler, executive vice president for corporate affairs at Agri Beef, and Josh Maschhoff, president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association, join us from South Korea while on a U.S. Meat Export Federation campaign to promote U.S. beef and pork. National Sorghum Producers chair Amy France joins us to describe the crisis sorghum producers are struggling with right now and what they need to face these challenges.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Federal Court of Appeals has decided that President Donald Trump does not have the power to set tariffs on imports based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.