Sugar Producer

20 SUGAR PRODUCER | JANUARY 2022 I hope you've had an enjoyable holiday season with friends and family and got much-needed rest from a busy growing year. With the successful harvest and holidays now behind us, we look toward challenges and opportunities that lie before us in 2022. Supply Chains Agricultural supply chain problems for crop inputs expose the fragility of our global production and delivery systems. On the other hand, our domestic sugar supply story is a remarkable one because of all our industry does to produce and process our crop. In our farm show exhibition booth and in congressional lobbying material, we have a map of the U.S. that identifies over 90 strategically located sugar distribution centers. "Where are you from?" we ask. Once they answer, we say, "Here is how we Ramping Up The sugar industry prepares for a busy 2022 FROM THE ASGA Luther Markwart | EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Our story tells how our American sugarbeet and sugarcane industries take care of American consumers. We must tell that story at every opportunity." take care of you." It's a great story because people seldom think beyond the grocery store shelf—but not after they see how our industry impacts them. Our story tells how our American sugarbeet and sugarcane industries take care of American consumers. We must tell that story at every opportunity, especially to members of Congress, because we need strong farm and trade policy to sustain this industry. Despite our industry success during the pandemic, attacks on sugar policy continued last year. Opponents want to oversupply the market and drive down prices for their sugar user constituents. Their proposals would drive more producers out of business and make us more dependent on unreliable foreign suppliers. Labor We have seen the exit of many longtime staff and professionals on Capitol Hill and agencies like USDA. This means there are more people to educate on the nuances of our industry and policy. Your grower leaders will deliver our message to hundreds of congressional offices virtually in early 2022. Pictures of farms, families, harvest and processing are fully displayed in virtual backgrounds, helping deliver your message. We held many in-person political fundraisers to deliver your message in person. Your support for your political action committee (PAC) is more important now than it ever was. Risk Management Last year's drought and late-season moisture showed us the challenges of climate change. Risk management tools are critically important. As you recall, for crop year 2021, an initial price election of $.146 per pound was successfully increased to $.152 per pound. We began a new process in 2021 to get a more accurate price election for crop insurance. Cooperatives now provide data to a private firm that aggregates the data and gives it to USDA. This has made a difference, resulting in a $.161-per-pound price election for the 2022 crop. ASGA is also working with USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) to improve coverage options, including potential changes to the Early Harvest Factor. Pesticides The threat to pesticides through litigation, legislation and regulation is severe. Protecting existing tools and securing new ones is a daunting task. We work with coalition partners in weekly congressional meetings to educate staff on the safety and importance of these products. Engaging in legal proceedings around existing chemistries is a new and expanding role for ASGA. The fear of litigation has drastically slowed EPA's regulatory approval process for new products. These issues demand far more of our time and energy now than only a few years ago. 2022 Elections With House congressional district lines being redrawn for the next decade, we see legislatures, commissions and courts buzzing with map-drawing activity. Many of the maps have already been drawn, and most will be complete in the coming month. Some maps will take longer to finalize due to legal challenges. We are already seeing dozens of members retiring or running for other offices. As candidates come to Washington to meet with prospective campaign donors, it provides us an opportunity to press them on the importance of the sugar industry. Again, your political action support allows these relationships to develop. ASGA has been meeting with Republican and Democratic congressional candidates for months

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