Soybean farmers set 2025 policy priorities

December 19, 2024 | Jeff Hutton

Biofuels, trade, land use, federal and state policy were among the topics discussed during this year’s Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) policy conference.

ISA board members and delegates this week approved a full slate of policy resolutions that will serve as a guide in the year to come.

Matt Herman, ISA’s chief officer for demand and advocacy, says policy matters are the responsibility of the entire ISA farmer membership and facilitating those insights is critical.

“From my perspective, if we don’t start with grassroots engagement, ISA is then just an agricultural organization and it’s not a farmer organization,” he says. “So, we’re really deliberate in our process that we start at the grassroots level and develop these policies and proposed changes and additions. Then we can bring them to the delegates – the farmers – and they in turn lead that discussion.”

Herman says whether it is him or ISA’s Manager of Advocacy Megan Decker speaking to legislators in Des Moines or Washington, D.C., “we’re advocating directly for and on behalf of the farmers for what they want – their policies are critical in making sure their views are being represented.”

Policy matters

Among some of the issues discussed and approved included:

Biotechnology

• Biotechnology Food Labeling: We oppose any additional state or federal initiative to mandate labels on bioengineered agricultural products

Energy

• Biodiesel quality standards and testing: We support government recognition of the unique fuel quality attributes of biodiesel and the enforcement of ASTM 6751 and other ASTM biodiesel blend standards. We support the adoption and utilization of the BQ 9000 quality program. We offer continued support of a state funded and certified testing laboratory and quality enforcement program to evaluate biodiesel quality.
• Small Referring Exemptions: We oppose the granting of small refinery exemptions under the RFS.
• Alternative approaches: We support the development of alternative approaches to quantifying indirect land use change in the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard and state Low Carbon Fuel Standard program.

Environmental and Natural Resources

• Agricultural Dust: We support an exemption for agricultural dust from regulation.
• DNR Enforcement: We support Iowa DNR as the enforcement agency for environmental and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulations than the EPA.
• Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Watershed Management: We support State Soil and Water Conservation Districts as the primary jurisdictional organization providing leadership and coordinate for local watershed initiatives. We support farmer consultation in the development, implementation and review of watershed management planning and implementation. We support state-wide common definitions and standards for watershed management plans.

Federal Farm Policy

• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP): We support continuation of the CRP. We support a Conservation Reserve Program which prioritizes environmentally sensitive lands. We support the development of CRP programs and payment mechanisms that promote active management and productive use of the biomass.
• Cover Crop Conservation Practices: We support alignment between agencies such as USDA, EPA and Treasury in delivery of information and benefits as it related to programs supporting the adoption of cover crops.

State of Iowa Farm and Rural Policy

• Central Filing: We oppose moving from Iowa’s direct notice system to a central filing system for buyer notification.

Livestock

• Protein Origin, Labeling and Oversight: We support labeling only protein derived from livestock and poultry for human consumption as “meat.” We support USDA oversight of cellular or alternatively produced proteins.

Property Rights and Land Use

• Deer Tags: We support an increase in the number of doe and buck tags to in- and out-of-state hunters. Non-resident landowners should be eligible for landowner tags.
• Federal executive orders: We oppose federal executive orders that deprive citizens of rights and property.

Taxes

• Net Investment Income Tax: We oppose the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT).
• Shift of Tax Values from Non-crop to Cropland: We oppose efforts to shift property taxes to cropland in order to provide relief to owners of non-crop land.
• Timber Land Reserve: We oppose the property tax exemption for the forest reserve program.

Trade and Market Access

• Cargo Preference: We oppose the Jones Acts and support a waiver for agricultural commodities.

Transportation and Infrastructure

• Harbor Maintenance Tax: We support the funding generated by the Harbor Maintenance Tax be spent on harbor maintenance and dredging.

Value-Added and Bio-Based Products and Soy Promotion

• Bio-based products: We support incentive for the domestic production or consumption of bio-based products made from soybean oil.
• Producer Promotion Programs: We support and endorse the concept of a producer-controlled checkoff program with regular and third-party evaluation to ensure the efficient use of checkoff dollars.

Organizational Efforts and Support

• Agricultural issues: We encourage ISA to continue to explore expanded partnerships in promoting and pursuing agricultural issues in common.

Herman says while ISA’s policy book is certified and updated once a year, the process by which information is gathered and collected is evergreen.

“While we have specific listening sessions in November in the cropping districts, we’re always collecting information throughout the year,” he says. “Any farmer who has a suggestion or some input, please bring it to us no matter what time of year.”

Plans for 2025

Certifying ISA’s policy proposal toward the end of the year is an effective way to get ready for the upcoming legislative sessions in both Des Moines and Washington, D.C., Herman says.

He and Decker recently emphasized some of the key issues the ISA will be advocating for in 2025 including:

State Issues

• ISA supports modernizing the Grain Indemnity Fund to support a safety net to repay farmers in the event of a grain elevator failure.
• ISA supports limiting civil lawsuits against manufacturers of glyphosate due to failure to warn. It is increasingly important to maintain tools in the toolbox for farmers to utilize that are already approved by the federal government. Currently, it is estimated that RoundUp® is used on 73% of soybean acres in Iowa.
• ISA supports providing county supervisors greater oversight in the implementation of a property tax break for owners of land which is registered under the forest and fruit trees reservations. We are opposed to shifting the tax burden from exempt landowners to those in the rest of the county.
• ISA supports the research funding of Iowa State University.

Federal Issues

• ISA supports a new farm bill that protects crop insurance, updates reference prices, and expands trade opportunities for the long-term competitiveness of soybean farmers.
• ISA supports maintaining access to soy’s leading export market – China – and expanding export opportunities.
• ISA supports science-driven, evidence-based approach to the Endangered Species Act.
• ISA is working to educate farmers, industry, and all stakeholders on the negative impact a poorly implemented biofuel tax credit will have on farmers across Iowa and the United States. The ISA has supported the National Oilseed Processors Association and American Soybean Association as they also seek to engage on these issues.

Naig offers his perspective

During this week’s conference, Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says he’s appreciative of the work ISA and others in Iowa are doing on behalf of farmers throughout the state.

“It is because of the way farmers work together … we get together and speak with one voice,” he says.

Working together was evident following a tumultuous 2024 weather-wise in Iowa, Naig pointed to overcoming historic drought levels, breaking that drought, severe weather including tornadoes and flooding, and then warm and dry conditions during the fall harvest.

“We didn’t wait for FEMA or federal help, but came together,” he says. “That’s the character of Iowa.”

Naig touched on Avian flu concerns as well as other diseases that producers must be aware of as well as remain vigilant about as we move into 2025.

Whether it’s poultry flocks, dairy cattle, swine or beef, the ag secretary says the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS)  has a great team monitoring any issues that might arise.

He says the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has already ordered milk testing protocols on dairy herds in Iowa with a roll out to commence in the next few weeks and months.

In terms of trade, Naig says IDALS will continue to push for market development and trade and its importance to soybean producers.

“The importance of trade, its impacts of certain policies, tariffs, or new trade agreements, will be critically important in the upcoming administration,” he says. “We need to have a voice on the importance of trade and what the implications are.”

Naig touched on the importance of domestic access and touted the Choose Iowa program (chooseiowa.com).

The program’s vision is to connect consumers to Iowa produce and food products and expand markets for Iowa farmers. It’s designed to provide consumers a choice in purchasing food items that originate as an agricultural commodity produced on Iowa farms. The brand promotes foods, beverages and other agricultural products that are grown, raised or made within Iowa.

Naig reaffirmed IDALS’ commitment to increasing conservation adoption throughout the state.

He noted that for the third consecutive year, Iowa has set a record on the number of acres devoted to conservation, be it oxbows, work on water quality practices, cover crops, saturated buffers, pollinator habitats, etc.

Naig says continued opportunities with federal, state and private partners are working to help with technical and engineering costs and “moving the needle in real ways” in Iowa.

That includes the recent launch of a new three-year partnership with ISA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to accelerate the implementation of science-based practices proven to protect water quality and improve soil health within Iowa.

According to Naig, “this innovative partnership will work with farmers and landowners in priority watersheds within Iowa to construct practices outlined in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, including multi-purpose oxbows, saturated buffers and perennial covers.”

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Final thoughts

ISA CEO Kirk Leeds wrapped up the policy session with reflections on what has transpired over the past 60 years of the organization, while looking at the soybean industry’s future.

“I’ve witnessed and participated in many changes within the soybean industry over the past 35 years, and right now, I’ve never seen as much chaos and uncertainty,” he says.

Leeds pointed to geopolitical issues that are impacting the United States and other regions around the global.

“These are very, very trying times,” he says, adding that a global vision is key, especially when soybean producers, now more than ever, are seeking more markets and opportunities to market and sell their products around the planet.

“Trade has to open up,” he says. “If we don’t continue to focus on global trade, we will pay a price. We need stability and policies to tap into a growing global marketplace.”

Robust trade, he contends, has benefited Iowa’s soybean producers and “we have to remain active in this space.

“Trade is the driver of economic growth in agriculture. Farmers have to become more articulate and aggressive; agriculture in this country needs trade.”

In the end, Leeds is an optimist despite the uncertainty both here and abroad.

“I’m still very excited to be a part of the soybean industry,” he says. “The world still needs protein, and soybeans are a protein crop. We have the most productive farmers and the land in the world.

“And we know consumers do care and we need to look for new ways to meet their needs.”

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