NATIONAL COUNCIL OF FARMER COOPERATIVES 2 0 WASHINGTON 1 8 CONFERENCE JUNE 25-27, 2018 HYATT REGENCY WASHINGTON, DC GOVERNMENT aFFAIRS mEETING NCFC Washington Conference Government Affairs Committee Hyatt Regency Hotel Washington, DC June 25, 2018 AGENDA Capitol A/B Room 7:30 AM Registration Open 8:00 – 8:30 AM Buffet Breakfast 8:30 AM Welcome & Introductions • Meeting Overview & Self-Introductions • Approval of the Minutes • Proposed By-Laws Change 8:45 AM NCFC CO-OP/PAC Report • 2018 Cycle Overview • PAC Events 8:55 AM Legal, Tax & Accounting Update • Application of the new tax law • 199A Implementation • Pending issues; Tax Extenders • Capper-Volstead in the news 9:15 AM Administration’s Trade Outlook for Agriculture Guest Speaker: The Honorable Gregg Doud Chief Agricultural Negotiator Office of the U.S. Trade Representative 10:00 AM BREAK 10:15 AM Labor & Immigration – Lots of activity; any action? Guest Panelist: Bret Manley Chief of Staff Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) Kristi Boswell Senior Advisor to the Secretary U.S. Department of Agriculture Moderator: Mary Nowak NCFC Representing the Business Interests of Agriculture 11:15 AM Outlook for the Farm Bill Guest Speaker: Helena Bottemiller Evich Senior Food and Agriculture Reporter POLITICO Pro Moderator: Justin Darisse NCFC 12:00 PM 2018 Election Analysis – Is it a wave or a ripple? (Lunch Provided) Guest Speaker: Stu Rothenberg Senior Editor, Inside Elections Political Analyst/Contributor, Roll Call 1:30 PM BREAK 2:00 PM Priorities and Activities at USDA-MRP Guest Speaker: The Honorable Greg Ibach Under Secretary, Marketing & Regulatory Programs U.S. Department of Agriculture 2:45 PM Implementation of the National Biotech Disclosure Law • Overview of the Proposed Rule • Coalition for Safe, Affordable Food Activities • NCFC Response Moderator: Kelsey Billings NCFC 3:15 PM Legislative Solution to Provide Accurate Product Labels Guest Speaker: Karyn Schmidt Senior Director, Regulatory & Technical Affairs American Chemistry Council 3:45 PM BREAK 4:00 PM Train the Trainer – Keys to a Successful Fly-In • Ideas for rethinking how you prepare for your next fly-in • Preparing your members • NCFC Advocacy/Fly-In Toolkit Guest Speaker: Paul A. Miller, PPC, LCP Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies 5:00 PM Future Meetings & Other Business 5:15 PM Adjourn Meeting Minutes NCFC Government Affairs Committee Meeting Washington, D.C. February 7, 2018 Minutes CALL TO ORDER Committee Chairman, Chuck Spencer, called the meeting to order, giving an overview of the meeting and supporting materials. He thanked attendees for their participation in the breakout sessions held throughout the day and sponsored by the Committee’s seven Subcommittees. The breakout sessions included the following topics and speakers: • Specialty Crop Issues in the Farm Bill – A Roundtable Discussion on FFVP and Other Priorities hosted by the Fruit, Vegetable and Nut Subcommittee, moderated by Rich Hudgins, President & CEO, California Canning Peach Association • Animal Disease Traceability hosted by the Animal Agriculture Subcommittee, with guest speaker Dr. Aaron Scott, Director, National Animal Disease Traceability & Veterinary Accreditation Center, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and moderated by Wally Knock, Board Director, Agtegra Cooperative • Investing in Rural Infrastructure, hosted by the Credit & Rural Development Subcommittee, with Brian Cavey, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, CoBank speaking and Vicki Hicks, Vice President, Government Affairs, AgriBank, FCB serving as moderator. • A SNAPshot of Nutrition and the Farm Bill, hosted by the Food and Nutrition Subcommittee, with guest speaker Sarah Hubbart, Director, Michael Torrey Associates, and moderated by Vaughn Koligian, Director, Corporate Sustainability, Sun-Maid Growers of California • Administration’s Trade Policy, NAFTA and Beyond, hosted by the International Affairs Subcommittee, with guest speaker Sharon Bomer Lauritsen, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and moderated by Rayne Thompson, Vice President, Government Relations & Public Policy, Sunkist Growers, Inc. and Fruit Growers Supply Company • Breakout Session: Trends in Migration & Workforce Dynamics, hosted by the Labor Subcommittee, with guest speakers Dr. C. Parr Rosson III, Ph.D., Professor, Texas A&M University, and Dr. Steve Bronars, Ph.D., Partner, Edgeworth Economics, LLC, and moderated by Jackie Klippenstein, Senior Vice President, Industry & Legislative Affairs, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. • Renewable Fuels Standard Reform, A Perspective from Marathon Petroleum hosted by the Environment & Energy Subcommittee, with guest speaker David Whikehart, Vice President of Environment, Safety and Corporate Affairs, Marathon Petroleum, and moderated by David Salmen, Board Director, Agtegra Cooperative. BUSINESS MEETING The Committee proceeded with its business meeting, followed by discussion of several additional issues of importance to farmer cooperatives. • APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES – A motion to approve the November 2017 meeting minutes was made by David Salmen and seconded by Chuck Adami. • NCFC CO-OP/PAC REPORT – Kelsey Billings reported that NCFC CO-OP/PAC began the year and the new 2017-2018 Election Cycle with a balance of $74,445.00. As of December 31, 2017, contributions to the PAC totaled $127,685.00. Individual and member PAC contributions accounted for $88,685.00 and $39,000.00 of the total, respectively. The annual goal for the PAC, agreed upon by the NCFC CO-OP/PAC Steering Committee, is $272,200. Mrs. Billings said the PAC reached 66 percent of its goal for the year. Mrs. Billings announced that the PAC will host the 7th Annual NCFC CO-OP/PAC Live & Silent auction fundraiser later that evening and expressed appreciation for the many live and silent auction item donations that were received. Finally, Mrs. Billings reported that in 2017, the PAC supported 46 members of Congress for reelection for a total of $100,500.00 in contributions to candidates. As of December 31, 2017, the PAC had an ending balance of $74,445.00. • FARMER CO-OP SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE – Kelsey Billings reported on NCFC’s latest sustainability efforts announcing that at this year's Annual meeting, NCFC is releasing the first of its kind Co-op Sustainability Report which highlights members' sustainability efforts through their commitment to community well-being. The Report showcases a collection of stories about the work of co-op members and also features an in- depth look at how Michigan Milk Producers Association has used the framework of NCFC's Field Guide for Co-op Sustainability Programs, to launch its own robust sustainability program. NCFC plans to share this report among members and industry partners throughout the year to illustrate the enormous contribution that co-ops are making, individually and collectively, to their communities. Looking ahead to 2018, NCFC plans to annually maintain programmatic aspects of our sustainability efforts, including; educational webinars for members; development of an introductory primer for co-ops to sustainability and the Field Guide; updates to the Guide and Self-Evaluation Tool; membership and engagement with agriculture industry and supply chain sustainability groups; and an annual Sustainability Working Group meeting. Another key area of focus will be communications and outreach on co-op sustainability, and more specifically, helping co-ops introduce sustainability and the Field Guide to the board of directors and management staff. 2 Mrs. Billings encourage anyone who is interested in getting involved with NCFC’s sustainability efforts to attend the October Sustainability Working Group meeting in Seattle, October 24-25. • 2018 PRIORITIES & POLICY RESOLUTIONS – Prior to the Annual Meeting, the Committee held a conference call to review the proposed policy resolutions for 2018. No additional changes were proposed at that time and the Committee adopted the resolutions pending NCFC Council approval. STEM EDUCATION & VETERANS TRAINING IN AG The Committee was joined by Lt. Gen. John “Glad” Castellaw (Retired), Chief Executive Officer of Farmspace Systems LLC and Dr. Ben C. West, Ph.D., Director, Loan Oaks Farms, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee to discuss an innovative approach to integrate agriculture into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education as well as opportunities for veteran training in agriculture. Lone Oaks Farms has partnered with area school districts to coordinate educational field trips focused on various STEM lesson plans and hands-on learning. In addition to providing a youth education center, the farm also serves as a 4-H retreat for area chapters. Lone Oaks Farms seeks to promote agriculture literacy by providing year-round access to agricultural education and becoming the national model for connecting youth and adults to the land to encourage a deep appreciation for conservation, and agriculture. The Farm also is developing partnerships with veterans looking to acquire valuable skills in agricultural technology. Through its AgVet program, Lone Oaks Farms is helping train veterans in areas such as precision agriculture, drone technology, agronomy, and many other areas, to set them up for successful careers in the agriculture sector. CRISIS MANAGEMENT Next the Committee heard from Roxi Beck, Vice President, Look East Consulting, and Consumer Engagement Director at The Center for