It’s political party convention time and that means each party will be releasing its party platform. The GOP released its platform on Monday evening, and below is a quick review on some of the themes struck in the Agriculture, Energy, and Environment section. The American Soybean Association (ASA) will do a similar review when the Democrats release their platform next week.

The full Republican platform document can be found at the link below. The Agriculture, Energy, and Environment section is on pages 17-22.

2016 Republican Party Platform

Notable agriculture provisions in the platform include:

Trade – The platform includes language on the importance of agricultural trade, expanded agricultural exports, and science-based standards for food and agriculture. The platform also includes language opposing approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) during the lame-duck session of Congress.

Government Regulation – The platform includes language expressing concerns about overregulation and how it impacts competitiveness. Specifically, the platform notes opposition to WOTUS, opposition to policies pushed by special interests seeking to stop or make more expensive the production of meat, impacts of Endangered Species Act designations, and a proposal to convert EPA into a bipartisan commission.

Conservation – The platform acknowledges that farmers are good stewards of the land, and recognizes the benefits of voluntary conservation programs and modern farming practices in achieving conservation goals.

Ag Data – The platform includes language supporting the privacy and security of farmer-owned data.

Biofuels – The platform includes only a passing reference to private investment in biofuels, with no specific mention of RFS or biodiesel. The platform notes an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy, but also calls for the elimination of subsidies for energy sources.

GMO labeling – The platform notes the GOP’s opposition to mandatory GMO labeling.

Crop Insurance & Farm Income Safety Net – The platform includes only ambiguous language on the government’s role (or lack thereof) in helping farmers to manage risk.

Nutrition Programs – The platform includes language clearly calling for the separation of the nutrition title from the next farm bill, as well as for separating SNAP administration from USDA.

Again, we will issue a similar document following the release of the Democratic platform next week. As you can see, there are elements of the GOP platform with which ASA policy aligns and those with which it doesn’t. This will almost assuredly be the case with the Democratic platform as well. Given that, we believe there is very little to be gained from any public stance on either document. If you do receive press inquiries, however, please let us know and we’re happy to assist in the preparation of messaging.