Ag labor, modern ag technologies, transportation and supply chains are on the list of policy priorities for the Ag Retailers Association.
ARA’s senior director of government affairs Hunter Carpenter gave details on the recommendations from the public policy committee which will go in front of the full board at its upcoming meeting.
He says while some issues always make the list, there are notable timely updates for issues and policies that could directly effect ag retail businesses.
“Transportation is probably one that’s taking on the biggest role right now,” Carpenter says. “You have the UP Norfolk Southern merger which is at the table. You have the effort trying to modernize the commercial driver’s license. And we’ve still got to get some policy objectives done on the Farm Bill side of things.”
Regarding the potential UP/Norfolk Southern merger, Carpenter says it’s a “big deal.”
“We do have concerns about that possible merger,” he says. “They have filed their merger application with the Surface Transportation Board. So we are in discussions with our members on what ARA should say or should not say on the matter.”
As for what’s left from Farm Bill related legislation, he says while many facets of Farm Bill were addressed in the One Big Beautiful Bill, there are some left on the table:
- biostimulant definition
- increased TSP Access Act to try and get more, technical service providers certified
- pesticide labeling uniformity
- NPDS permit relief
He also highlights Congress currently operating under its continuing resolution which has a Jan. 30 deadline with bills moving but still needing to get those passed before another shutdown.
“Those are just a number of the policy objectives we had in that Farm Bill that passed the House Ag Committee in May of 2024 that included a lot of our priorities that were not included in the budget process because they did not touch the actual budget numbers,” Carpenter says.
Retailers can learn more about the upcoming ARA Fly-in at ARADC.org. Last year, ARA organized more than 135 meetings with different offices on the Hill. This year’s event takes place March 2 Mar 4, 2026.
