Ag Bioeconomy Policy Summit

PBPC Ag Bioeconomy Policy Summit Brings Industry Leaders to Washington

The Plant Based Products Council (PBPC) convened its 2026 Ag Bioeconomy Policy Summit May 12-13, 2026, in Washington, D.C., bringing together more than 60 participants representing organizations across the U.S. ag bioeconomy value chain.

Congressional Fly-In

PBPC Members take the domestic manufacturing success story of the ag bioeconomy to Capitol Hill.

PBPC Members congratulate Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on receiving the Congressional Bioeconomy Champion Award during an evening reception on Capitol Hill. — PBPC Members take the domestic manufacturing success story of the ag bioeconomy to Capitol Hill.

Over the course of the summit, PBPC members and partners held more than 20 meetings with congressional offices from 11 states to advocate for policies that strengthen domestic biomanufacturing, expand markets for agricultural feedstocks, and support continued growth of the U.S. bioeconomy. Discussions focused heavily on the Biobased Materials Investment and Production Act as well as PBPC’s Farm Bill priorities, including maintaining and modernizing USDA’s BioPreferred Program and advancing policies that support biobased manufacturing and rural economic development.

Advancing the American Ag Bioeconomy

Summit attendees also heard from policymakers and industry leaders working to advance America’s competitiveness in the ag bioeconomy. Featured speakers included Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Joe Gilson, Chief of Staff for USDA Rural Development, and representatives from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, Department of Energy, USDA – including leaders from the BioPreferred Program – and the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee.

Throughout the event, participants emphasized the importance of:

Maintaining and modernizing the USDA BioPreferred Program;
Advancing Farm Bill provisions that support biobased manufacturing and market development;
Expanding domestic biomanufacturing capacity;
Pre-commercial scale research and partnerships;
Accelerating adoption of renewable, plant-based products and materials across industries; and
The variety of feedstocks used in plant-based product manufacturing.

The summit highlighted the growing momentum behind the ag bioeconomy and the increasing alignment among agriculture, manufacturing, sustainability, national security, and economic competitiveness. Participants represented a broad cross-section of the ag bioeconomy, including farmers, renewable chemicals companies, bioplastics producers, packaging manufacturers, consumer product companies, composting organizations, and other stakeholders committed to growing the circular bioeconomy.

Congressional Bioeconomy Champion Awards

Congressional Bioeconomy Champion Award made from plant-based bioplastic

During the summit, PBPC also recognized congressional leaders advancing the U.S. bioeconomy through its inaugural Congressional Bioeconomy Champion Awards. The organization honored Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Reps. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) and Mark Messmer (R-IL) for their bipartisan efforts to advance policies supporting biobased manufacturing, rural economic development, domestic innovation, and American leadership in the growing ag bioeconomy. PBPC highlighted the lawmakers’ work on legislation promoting domestic biomanufacturing, supply chain resilience, and expanded markets for renewable, plant-based products. Each lawmaker received an American-made award that was 3-D printed using a plant-based filament derived from U.S. corn.

Join our growing group of plant-based leaders working toward a more sustainable economy. Learn more about the benefits of PBPC membership.