From climate change to a lack of biodiversity, to economic strains, from trade wars to farming and supply chains have taken center stage in both the United States and Europe. Since the fall of 2022, the ACG’s Leadership Mission on Agriculture Policy and Resource Scarcity has given German and American agriculture experts and practitioners an in-depth look at agricultural policies, farm, and food-supply conditions on their respective sides of the Atlantic. This program will bring small delegations to Germany and the United States to better understand how their transatlantic counterparts are tackling common challenges.
Through the generous support of The Halle Foundation, the American Council on Germany organizes week long programs for young professionals working in the agricultural/farming industry. The ACG arranges meetings with individuals within the agriculture industry including policymakers and agricultural experts while acquainting themselves with the practices, challenges, and solutions of their peers. During the Mission, participants receive a behind-the-scenes look at the issues being addressed by their transatlantic counterparts.
2024 Leadership Mission
Since 1980, the American Council on Germany has promoted exchanges on farming and agriculture. More than 40 years later, the ACG continues to promote understanding across the Atlantic between those in the agricultural industry.
On the afternoon of November 17, the third cohort of the American Council on Germany’s Leadership Mission on Agriculture Policy and Resource Scarcity met in Berlin for a week of policy meetings and farm visits. The group of 12 represented five states: Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The program explores the commonalities of agriculture on both sides of the Atlantic. The Halle Foundation generously sponsors this program.
After settling in, the group gathered for a river cruise along the Spree River, which offered a historic and scenic introduction to the city. That evening, Deutsche Bauernverband (DBV) staff, including Roger Fechler (2012 ACG McCloy Fellow in Agriculture), Head of Livestock Department, joined the group for a welcome dinner, where they exchanged insights on the German agricultural structure, recent developments in sustainable farming, and the impact of the war in Ukraine on European food security.
2023 Leadership Mission
On the evening of October 22, 2023, the cohort gathered in Arlington, VA for a discussion and dinner with ACG Senior Program Director Robin Cammarota. The group, many of whom had never been to the United States, discussed basic agricultural and trade policy, as well as the political climate in the United States.
Early on October 23, the group had a series of meetings in Washington, DC with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). A long-time partner of the ACG, the AFBF is the premier organization for agriculture policy in the United States. The group had the opportunity to discuss topics such as the Farm Bill, trade policy, farm labor issues, rural broadband access, and rural mental health.
Over lunch, the delegation met with ACG program alums who work in the agriculture sector – including Johnna Miller (2006 Agriculture Fellow), Senior Director of Media and Advocacy Training for the AFBF; John Torres and Lynne Finnerty (2004 Agriculture Fellow), both who work for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization; and Kristi Boswell (2014 Agriculture Fellow), Agricultural Policy Lawyer with Alston and Bird. After a tour of the U.S. Capitol, during which the group learned some of American history, the group met with agricultural staff at the German Embassy.
2022 Leadership Mission
One major side effect of Russia’s war in Ukraine has been the further disruption of the global agricultural sector. Already before the conflict, agriculture in Europe and the United States faced major challenges – from climate change to a lack of biodiversity and from economic strains to trade conflicts and supply chain disruptions.
From November 13 to 20, 2022, the ACG’s Leadership Mission on Agriculture Policy and Resource Scarcity gave American agriculture experts and practitioners from the State of Georgia an in-depth look at agricultural policies, farming, and food-supply conditions in Germany. This project was generously supported by The Halle Foundation and was organized in partnership with the Deutscher Bauernverband (DBV), the German Farmers’ Association.
The week-long program was divided into two segments: The delegation began in Berlin for a series of policy discussions and then visited farms and production plants to receive a first-hand look at farming in Germany. Throughout the week, conversations centered on food security as an important national security concern.