On this episode of The Scoop, Hunter Carpenter offers insight into the policy and regulatory issues dominating the conversation in Washington, including the push for ag labor reform, support for voluntary regenerative agriculture, new pesticide registrations, and transportation concerns tied to rail consolidation.
Q: Hunter, I know things are moving quickly—are we going to get an ag labor bill? It seemed like Chairman Thompson thought now was the time. What’s the latest on Congressman Thompson’s bill and the efforts on the Hill?
Carpenter: We’re fully supportive of Chairman Thompson’s Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act. We’re dwindling down to the end of this Congress—there aren’t many legislative days left once you factor in August and October recesses and the upcoming elections. There’s a lot to get done in a short amount of time. With tight margins in the House and Senate, and with Senator Lindsey Graham passing this week (our best wishes to his friends and family), and his sister taking over the seat, there may be some opportunities for Republicans to get things done in the Senate. But on the House side, moving a major piece of legislation like an ag labor bill will be difficult given how little calendar time remains.
Q: What does the bill actually do for agriculture and the workforce needs?
Carpenter: The bill modernizes the H-2A program, which has been part of ARA’s agenda for quite a while and aligns with today’s agricultural workforce needs. It expands access to year-round ag employees—so year-round visa availability is included. It also recognizes agriculture retail as agriculture. The bill includes reforms to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate, reduced regulatory burdens, and more labor certainty. When you ask ARA members what keeps them up at night, it’s having the right people—making sure you have the drivers to get product to the farm gate.
Q: How did this bill come together—especially with respect to policy work already underway?
Carpenter: Many of the elements Chairman Thompson included were part of the ag labor task force he put together a couple of years ago with Republicans like Rick Crawford from Arkansas and a Democrat, Don Davis from North Carolina. They worked with other members of the House Agriculture Committee to produce an ag labor report, and I think many of the recommendations in that report are reflected in the bill.
Q: Are you hopeful it will move, and will ARA help build momentum?
Carpenter: We’re fully supportive, and we hope to move it forward. Keep an eye out for an ARA action alert coming soon to build momentum in the committee and throughout Congress.
Q: Let’s shift gears to the White House. Beginning of July, there was an executive order from President Trump regarding regenerative agriculture. What does that mean for ag retailers?
Carpenter: We want to be positive about it and look at the opportunities. The executive order directs USDA, EPA, HHS, and other federal agencies to expand support for voluntary regenerative agriculture. It doesn’t strictly define regenerative agriculture in the executive order—which we think is a positive because it allows the industry to help define what it is.
Q: Where do you see the biggest opportunities created by that executive order?
Carpenter: It could mean greater demand for ag retailer expertise, growth in precision agriculture, and potentially opportunities for new crop protection products. We also need to keep speaking to the public and policymakers—because the “Make America Healthy” movement has been hijacked by the anti-pesticide lobby. We need to make the case for crop protection tools and pesticides, and why they matter. A simple message is: if you take tools out of the toolbox, yields go down and prices of food and fuel go up.
Q: What else should listeners watch for as regenerative ag policy develops?
Carpenter: There’s a lot to unpack. We can talk about the definition, but this executive order could also bring more federal incentives as USDA expands programs and partnerships. It may affect carbon markets. Retailers may strengthen their role as trusted advisors to growers by documenting practices. It could also support research funding and help shape what “success” looks like for USDA—such as outcomes tied to enhanced efficiency fertilizers and practices supporting soil health like cover crops, strip till, or no-till grazing. ARA supports voluntary, incentive-based conservation practices as well as science-based regulatory authorities at EPA so new products can keep coming to market. We want an all-of-the-above strategy.
Q: You referenced a busy stretch in D.C. earlier. Around late June into early July, we saw SCOTUS activity related to federal preemption (Durnell case), the regenerative ag executive order, and then a break in the dam at EPA for new pesticide registrations. Can you talk about what those EPA registration updates indicate?
Carpenter: Getting new products registered is a huge step in the right direction. We understand this administration is under a lot of pressure from constituencies asking for those product registrations. ARA sent Administrator Zeldin a letter at the end of May about finalizing certain registrations. We can’t take full credit—it’s a lot of people in the ag community working together to push these through—but we’re glad they listened. Our manufacturer base has been working tirelessly on research and innovations to bring these products to market, and we’re thankful for what President Trump and Administrator Zeldin have done around new registrations. We hope there’s more coming down the pike.
Q: Hunter, one more topic: there’s a potential merger in front of the Surface Transportation Board. What’s the latest on the rail merger, and how is ARA viewing it?
Carpenter: The rail merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern is already in the STB review process. Darren recently wrote an op-ed—ARA opposes the merger. Our opposition is not about who applied; it’s about what we’ve learned from past mergers. By the numbers, 90% of freight rail is controlled by four railroads. Historically, rail consolidation has been associated with cost increases and service impacts. Two-thirds of fertilizer inputs are moved by rail, and a rail car can carry roughly the equivalent of multiple truckloads of anhydrous ammonia—so rail is substantially more fuel efficient for key commodities.
Q: What specifically makes ARA believe the merger fails the standard?
Carpenter: Past rail mergers have resulted in service disruptions severe enough that federal regulators have temporarily halted further consolidation. The STB rules require mergers to enhance competition, and this proposed merger doesn’t meet that standard. ARA members have been threatened over the years with service cuts—when you can’t move goods, that’s not efficiency. ARA supports increased competition, pricing, transparency, infrastructure investment, and stronger oversight. We believe opposing this merger aligns with those goals, especially around ensuring ag retailer products get to growers on time, efficiently, and not at prohibitive cost.
Q: Finally, you’re celebrating America 250. Agriculture is tied to history and national security. How have you seen agriculture show up in the America 250 celebration so far?
Carpenter: It was a timely call-out. I joined hundreds of people at Mount Vernon on Monday night for Ag 250. We were joined by many other ag groups in Washington and celebrated at George Washington’s home—he wasn’t only a founding father, but also a founding farmer. Speakers emphasized that agriculture and food security are national security, and the themes were consistent: agriculture and food supply are essential to feed the U.S. and the world, and it’s the farmers who make that happen.
