7/23
Congressional Bioeconomy Champions Highlight the Farm Bill and America’s Growing Ag Industries
On July 9, the Plant Based Products Council hosted the latest installment of its Speaker Series, bringing together leaders, experts, and visionaries in the agriculture and ag bioeconomy sector. The events aim to highlight and advance both education and policy related to the plant-based products industry and its leaders in innovation. The discussion, The Farm Bill and the Bioeconomy, explored the crucial next steps for the Farm Bill and its impact on the bioeconomy and rural America.
As industry leaders and policy experts work to develop new market opportunities, address environmental challenges, and grow quality jobs in rural America, investing in the ag bioeconomy can be a key part of the solution. To unpack the latest updates on the Farm Bill, PBPC Senior Vice President of External Affairs Robin Bowen, and PBPC Director of Government Relations Kent Roberson led discussions featuring bioeconomy champions and House Agriculture Committee Members Mark Alford (R-MO) and Angie Craig (D-MN). Additionally, PBPC Executive Director James Glueck led a Q&A with Bowen and Roberson.
Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO)
House Agriculture Committee Member
Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN)
House Agriculture Committee Member
Improving the BioPreferred Program
Alford and Craig addressed the importance of improving USDA’s BioPreferred Program through the Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act. Alford noted that providing additional markets for American farmers is critical to growth for the biobased products industry. Craig added that the inclusion of this legislation in the Farm Bill will help USDA promote ag-based bioproducts, which will support American innovation across sectors.
Bowen added that the Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act focuses on utilizing already available data to inform purchasing decisions and enable the growth of biobased products.
Transforming Rural Development
A cornerstone of the Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act is investing in rural communities to foster industry wide growth. According to the Department of Agriculture, the biobased products industry employs nearly 4 million Americans and contributes $489 billion to the U.S. economy. Both representatives noted that encouraging investment in rural communities in the Farm Bill will lead to more job creation, growth in key industries and businesses, and further economic stability.
“Money talks, economic growth talks, jobs talk, and I think we have to be better at talking about just the opportunity that this creates for jobs in rural communities,” Craig said.
For his part, Alford underscored that with the market certainty the Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act will provide, “[it will] drive innovation. It’s going to let leaders and investors invest in the future of America and biobased products, and that’s exciting.”
PBPC’s Kent Roberson further noted that a key tenant in the Ag BIO Act, another PBPC Farm Bill priority, is Federal investment in companies that create biobased products, particularly in rural areas. Those investments will allow the new companies to scale-up and compete with larger enterprises and make biobased products core to the American economy.
Next Steps
Alford and Craig both remain committed to advancing the Farm Bill but recognize there are hurdles for the legislation to pass the House and the Senate.
PBPC’s Robin Bowen and Kent Roberson emphasized that those who want to engage in the Farm Bill should visit PBPC.com to tell your lawmakers to support job growth and ag-based biomanufacturing in the Farm Bill.
PBPC is grateful to Alford and Craig for joining and sharing their insights. We look forward to hearing from more industry experts and innovators at future PBPC Speaker Series events.
Sign up for news from PBPC to stay updated and click to watch the discussion to learn more about how Farm Bill ag bioeconomy provisions matter for rural development.