Politics is like a spectator sport to me, so I guess I’m lucky that the “season” of presidential politics is 18 months long and lengthening every cycle. Although, as with Major League Baseball, I’m much more interested once the playoffs arrive. However, there are so many areas of government policy that involve the fresh produce industry, it behooves us all to watch closely for policy positions that may directly affect us throughout the drawn out process.

While school nutrition and food waste aren’t the kind of flashpoint issues that fire up either party’s base, immigration and environmental policies certainly can and do. These aren’t the only policy topics to listen for as you’re determining who your candidates up and down the ballot will be. With so many issues intertwined/closely affecting each other and many varying viewpoints, even within our industry, we created the following list that identifies key issues that we believe all fresh produce industry members should keep an eye on over the next 13 months.

• Immigration Reform: Do the candidates’ immigration plans accommodate for guest worker programs? Or are they presenting an all-or-nothing approach (neither of which is probably the best solution for our nation)? The availability of harvest labor for a wide swath of our crops is directly tied to this issue.
• Taxes: This one’s a bit of a no-brainer since taxes affect all of us. A simplified tax code – many versions of which are being proposed by the candidates – may not solve all tax-related problems, but should, at the very least, help unravel the mystery that taxation has become so that we can more clearly understand which candidate’s plan will work best for us.
• Farm Subsidies: Are these rather pricey payouts a blip on anyone’s radar? No matter on which side of this issue you stand, there is room to improve this program to better identify and support the farmers who need it. In other words, there are probably some loopholes here that could stand to be closed.  
• School Nutrition: This issue has received bipartisan support in recent years, but can certainly benefit from vocal proponents in the White House and Congress. Are the candidates (or their husbands/wives) highlighting the importance of nutritious foods for our youth? Is this a plank in their education platform? The Child Nutrition Reauthorization and maintenance of the current, successful Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program are vital in providing our kids with healthy, fresh food options at school while also having a hugely positive impact on our industry. We want to support candidates who, like us, also realize, champion and advance this win-win scenario.
• Environment: This is an issue that may have as many complexities as taxes. But one thing’s for sure: We’ve only got one Earth and her land and water – and the policies that affect them – will always be the resources most vital to the success of our industry and civilization for that matter.

I’m not a fan of the predominant negativity that seems to have overtaken our nation’s political and governmental processes. But I am hopeful that these candidates (and all our elected officials) will veer away from the doom and gloom divisiveness and toward optimism and cooperation. In the meantime, we’ll be watching closely so as to make the most informed decisions once Election Day is FINALLY here. Godspeed to all our friends in the swing states! J