| Tate Bennett is a partner at Forbes Tate Partners. Tate Bennett has become a mainstay in Washington, D.C. food and agriculture policy. Many of her clients play key roles in our domestic food supply and farm economy. Bennett previously worked on the 2014 Farm Bill in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, including for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). She has also advised on agriculture issues in senior roles at the White House and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She credits her rural upbringing for helping her to better understand her clients’ issues. She grew up on a horse farm in Kentucky, and her grandparents were in the dairy business. When not on Capitol Hill, which is most days, Tate is busy raising her two young children, at the barn, or at a horse show. |
Question –
Where do you see the food pricing and inflation fitting into this election?
These are economic issues, which have long been top of mind for voters and remain so today. Recent polls show that the economy and inflation are important to 81 percent of registered voters heading to the polls this fall. The need for a robust domestic food supply and a strong rural economy is certainly a big part of that conversation.
Question –
What legislative priorities are you thinking about for the remainder of this Congress and next Congress?
As someone who follows food, agriculture, and related policies, the next Farm Bill is top of mind. The current extension of the 2018 Farm Bill expires September 30th. A lapse in the Farm Bill has no real immediate ramifications to farmers; however, Congressional leaders are considering passing a new Farm Bill or another extension later this year and ahead of a new Congress with an already jampacked agenda. Many are pushing for the former, as 2024 inflation-adjusted net cash farm income projections for many crops are their worst in over a decade. Further, a new Farm Bill provides opportunities to update other critical policies, including rural development, energy, horticulture, forestry, credit, agriculture trade, and nutrition.
In the new 119th Congress, there will be a flurry of activity out of the gate. Such activities include setting up new Congressional procedures and committee assignments, and addressing the debt limit and 2025 expiring tax provisions.
Question –
What is one area of expertise that people may not know you have?
My colleagues and friends get a chuckle, but I work on industrial hemp and cannabis policy! I actually serve as co-executive director of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR), one of the Forbes Tate Partner’s prominent coalitions. During the 2014 Farm Bill and at the White House, I worked on industrial hemp, a crop with great potential, and related policies. That has translated into my extensive understanding a variety of cannabinoid issues.
Also, I’m always happy to discuss the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), but strangely only a few people ever take me up on it.