With Presidential Elections on the horizon, it isn’t surprising many are wondering how a new administration will affect the agriculture industry. Jim Wiesemeyer, Senior Vice President of Informa Economics delivered a message to the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau Annual Meeting entitled Policy Forecast for 2016 and Beyond. AgWired had the chance to talk to him about the candidates and what they might mean to the future of agriculture.
In a nutshell: Clinton, according to Wiesemeyer, will continue with the status quo, agriculturally speaking. Sanders, while quite energetic, faces poor odds, Wiesemeyer says. Trump is unknown in all areas of policy, but is likely to pick good people. Cruz gets negative readings from the ag community, while Rubio scored well among farmers and ranchers. Bush will likely be fair to agriculture, and Kasich knows industry.
But agriculture policy will depend on more than the Presidency. Control of the Senate will be important too, with Wiesemeyer predicting Republicans in the majority for the near future. Depending on the new administration, the honeymoon period could become important as well.
To hear the full interview about 2016 politics, listen to Chuck Zimmerman’s interview here: Interview with Jim Wiesemeyer, Informa Economics