Common Ground hosted its first event of the 2023–2024 academic year featuring Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack ’72 and Pennsylvania Representative G.T. Thompson, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture on Tuesday, Sept. 5. The discussion, moderated by Edvige Jean-François ’90, provided attendees with insight on agriculture policy in the United States.
President David Wippman provided the opening remarks for the event noting that this year’s Common Ground theme is climate change. Jean-François also gave introductory statements about how as a population, we cannot ignore climate change.
Secretary Vilsack began the discussion noting that the 2018 Farm Bill will not be extended in Congress without bipartisan support.
The Farm Bill, officially referred to as the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, supports a wide range of agricultural policy, including nutrition programs, land conservation, energy programs and rural development. The bill aims to provide Americans with jobs and food security.
During the discussion of the Farm Bill, Thompson stated that despite the agriculture committee in Washington being the most bipartisan committee, it took five votes in Congress for the bill to initially pass. Representative Thompson notably introduced this bill.
Vilsack warned that if the Farm Bill is not extended by the end of the month, there will be a sharp increase in unemployed and hungry Americans, particularly in rural parts of the country. The Secretary of Agriculture also stressed the importance of rural America, as it provides the vast majority of the food, water and electricity consumed. The Pennsylvania representative further emphasized the importance of the 2018 Farm Bill, noting that agriculture is the number one industry in every state, strengthening their economies, food security, vulnerable populations and their job markets.
Jean-François proposed a question to Vilsack and Thompson regarding Republicans and Democrats working together in the age of hyper-partisan politics. On the topic of polarized politics, Thompson expressed his belief that he finds it unfortunate that some families do not talk to one another over politics. Furthermore, Thompson declared that he believes that politics are not personal.
Meanwhile, Vilsack provided an example of bipartisanship announcing that he and Thompson meet once a month, sharing an interest in dairy and forestry. Thompson agreed with Vilsack’s statement, saying that bipartisanship is about sitting down at the table and building a relationship with the other individual. At the end of the day, what Vilsack says drives individuals, like himself, to work together is to “advocate for people who need advocacy.”
Jean-François asked the two panelists about what efforts the government is taking to support black farmers in the country. Vilsack, who worked under the Obama administration, proclaimed that his goal is to eliminate systematic racism in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Secretary of Agriculture provided a handful of initiatives the government is taking to address this issue, including a financial assistance program for those who believe they are discriminated against.
At the end of the discussion, the floor was opened to questions from the audience. One Hamilton student asked Vilsack and Thompson how the Chinese economic downturn will affect U.S. agriculture, farmers and food security in the near future. The two panelists noted that American exports to China have decreased over the past several months. They stated that in order to properly respond to this decrease in exports, the United States needs to promote the selling of American products within the country.
A local dairy farmer asked the panelists whether they support 1% milk or whole milk. This topic brought up discussions about obesity rates in America, the implementation of dairy products in the American school systems as well as milk’s caloric value. The two also touched upon the impact on dairy farmers if Americans were to consume less milk due to whole milk’s high caloric value and fat value.
The next Common Ground event will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Fillius Events Barn. The discussion will center around the Supreme Court’s decision on the 303 Creative v. Elenis court case regarding free speech and LGBTQ+ rights.