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International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council

Seminar

 

The 2007 Farm Bill Debate:
Converging Domestic and International Policy Imperatives

May 24, 2005

8:30 to 18:00
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Avenue NW
Ticonderoga Room
Washington, DC

Press Release (.pdf)

Seminar Proceedings Now Available - Click Here

PowerPoint presentations Now Available

Opening Address

Shaping a Modern Agricultural Policy
Agricultural policies must meet many objectives—including a safe and affordable food supply, strong rural communities, healthy natural resources, and a competitive food and agricultural system.  Every farm bill must balance these objectives against the prevailing political and fiscal environment. How does the current political and fiscal environment differ from the environment during the 1996 and 2002 Farm Bill debates? How can agricultural policy objectives be met in the political and fiscal environment likely to prevail in the 2006 Farm Bill debate? 

Charles Stenholm, Senior Government Affairs Advisor, Olsson, Frank and Weeda, P.C. and former Ranking Member, United States House of Representatives Agriculture Committee – United States

Session One

International Imperatives

America’s Role in the Emerging Global Market

How is the demand for food and agricultural products expected to grow and change in the coming years and where will this demand take place? What role can United States’ farmers and ranchers play in meeting that demand? What does the future look like for emerging competitors such as China and Brazil?

Chair, Rob Johnson*, Senior Vice President and Director, Corporate Affairs, Cargill, Inc. - United States
Dairy: Phillip Turner, Director of Global Government and Trade, Fonterra – New Zealand  - PowerPoint Presentation

Oilseeds: Al Ambrose, Vice President, Cenex Harvest States Cooperatives - United States - PowerPoint Presentation

Robert L. Thompson*, IPC Chairman and Gardner Chair in Agricultural Policy, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign - United States
 - PowerPoint Presentation
 

Promoting Economic Growth in Developing Countries: Altruism and Enlightened Self Interest
 How do US farmers and ranchers, and the United States food sector benefit from economic growth in developing countries? How can US agricultural domestic and trade policies promote those countries’ economic development? To what extent do developed countries have an ethical and moral obligation to ensure their policies do not disrupt opportunities for economic success in developing countries?

Chair, Brian Chamberlin*, Former President, Federated Farmers of New Zealand and former Special Trade Envoy - New Zealand

Per Pinstrup Andersen*, Cornell University and World Food Prize Laureate - Denmark - PowerPoint Presentation - PowerPoint Presentation

David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World - United States
H.S. Dillon*, Executive Director, Partnership for Governance Reform - Indonesia - PowerPoint Presentation

 

Multilateral Trade Negotiations: Requesting and Offering
 How does the United States stand to benefit from trade negotiations?  What does the United States need from other countries to continue to play a leadership role in moving WTO negotiations forward? What do other countries need and want from the United States? How will WTO jurisprudence (cotton, sugar, dairy, wheat board cases) and negotiations influence US agricultural policy?

Chair, Joe O'Mara*, former Special Agricultural Trade Negotiator, USDA - United States

Jim Grueff, former Agricultural Trade Negotiator - United States

Mike Gifford*, former Chief Agricultural Negotiator - Canada

Raul Montemayor*, Business Manager, Federation of Free Farmers Cooperative –Philippines

Tim Josling*, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University - United Kingdom

Luncheon Address

The Story Behind the European Union’s Reform
European Union agricultural policy - known as the Common Agricultural Policy or the CAP - has undergone a transformation over the past decade. CAP reform, led by Commissioner Franz Fischler from 1995 to 2004, involved a significant shift in European agricultural policy goals and policies. How did the European Union leadership manage the process of reform in the face of competing political interests? What political factors enabled that reform to proceed? What obstacles had to be overcome? Commissioner Fischler will use his experiences initiating reforms in Europe as a background to discus the political and economic challenge facing all WTO Member countries, of developing an agricultural policy that does not interrupt the establishment of more open agricultural markets, but satisfies individual countries’ domestic goals.

 

Franz Fischler*, Former Commissioner for Agriculture, European Commission - Austria - Speech
Session Two Domestic Imperatives

What are the goals for United States agricultural and trade policies in the 21st Century? What factors will drive the 2007 Farm Bill debate? How can the United States’ agricultural and trade policies meet these goals? 

 

Supporting Rural Communities
Since their inception, a key goal of farm programs was to support the economy in rural America. However, major advances in agricultural productivity, as well as in transportation and communication generally have led to significant changes in rural life.  Today’s rural communities are facing very different challenges than those faced by previous generations. How well are today’s farm programs able to address those new challenges?  How can the concerns of rural areas be addressed in the context of agricultural and other policies? What role could alternative energy play in revitalizing rural America?

Chair, Tamara White, Director of Commodities, Illinois Farm Bureau - United States

Mark Drabenstott, Vice President and Director, Center for the Study of Rural America, Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank - United States
- PowerPoint Presentation

Craig Hill, Vice-Chairman, Iowa Farm Bureau - United States - PowerPoint Presentation

Rolf Moehler*, former Deputy Director General, Agriculture Commission - European Union - PowerPoint Presentation

Enhancing Competitiveness: Back to the Future
 One of the original rationales of farm policy was to improve farmers’ competitiveness through agricultural extension and research programs that developed agricultural techniques and technologies specifically for US farmers and ranchers as well as income and price support programs to help farmers make investments in capital equipment and improved inputs. How can farm programs continue to enhance farmers’ ability to compete in global markets? How can United States policy continue to support a competitive commercial agricultural sector as well as value-added products and non-traditional crops?

Chair, James Starkey*, Senior Vice President, Universal Corporation - United States

Marcelo Regunaga*, former Secretary of Agriculture - Argentina - PowerPoint Presentation
 Don Villwock, President, Indiana Farm Bureau - United States
Robert Schramm, Schramm, Williams and Associates – United States - PowerPoint Presentation
Cal Dooley*, President, The Food Products Association and former Member, United States House of Representatives

 

Supporting Environment and Conservation
 Conserving farmland and protecting groundwater have been important goals of agricultural policies. The United States and other countries have used a number of policy measures and regulations to achieve these goals—from land retirement to conservation payments. How are these policies working? How can they be improved to address the concerns of large, commercial farmers and small farmers? How do these policies and programs fit into the “Green” Box at the WTO?

Chair, Hans Jöhr*, Corporate Head of Agriculture and Assistant Vice President, Nestle - Switzerland

Craig Cox, Executive Vice President, Soil and Water Conservation Society - United States - PowerPoint Presentation

Isabelle Garzon, Visiting Scholar, University of California, Berkeley and former agricultural advisor to Commissioner Pascal Lamy - European Union 
- PowerPoint Presentation

J. Read Smith, Farmer and Co-Chair, National Ag Energy Working Group - United States

 
Closing Remarks  
Robert L. Thompson*, IPC Chairman and Piet Bukman, IPC Vice-Chairman

Printable Version

* Indicates IPC Member

Seminar Sponsored By: Altria Corporate Services, Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge North America, Ltd.,
Cargill and The National Oilseed Processors Association