The Farm Bill is the most comprehensive piece of nutrition and agriculture legislation passed by Congress at regular intervals, and has a far-reaching impact on farmers, ranchers and households across the United States. Despite the name, more than three-quarters of the legation is traditionally allocated to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other important nutrition initiatives, like Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

The significant impact of this legislation makes it a ‘must pass’ priority in the 118^th Congress. However, the divided legislature requires engaging with both sides of the aisle during a session when bipartisan cooperation will be especially challenging.

The Potential Impact of the 2023 Farm Bill

The 2023 Farm Bill has the potential to have a significant impact on farmers, ranchers and consumers across the country. It could expand or reduce certain subsidies, alter trade regulations or change funding and requirements for nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In more recent iterations of the legislation, there has been significantly more focus on conservation and environmental programs.

As Congress debates the 2023 Farm Bill, there are several key issues that are likely to be addressed. These include:

SNAP and Other Nutrition Programs

The Farm Bill includes SNAP, which provides financial assistance to low-income households to purchase food. The lion’s share of the Farm Bill’s funding is allocated to SNAP and other important nutrition initiatives, like WIC.

The 2023 Farm Bill is likely to address funding levels for SNAP and WIC, as well as potential changes to the programs. House Republicans are expected to concentrate their efforts on strengthening work requirements for able-bodied adults.

It’s likely that there will also be proposals to include provisions related to nutrition and health, such as incentives for healthier food choices.

Commodity Programs

The Farm Bill includes a number of commodity programs that provide financial support to farmers and ranchers. These programs are designed to help farmers and ranchers manage risk, increase their incomes and remain competitive in the global marketplace.

The legislation has a broad impact on the way food is produced, what type of food is available and who can access it. For instance, the 2018 Farm Bill reauthorization provided assistance for crops like wheat and corn that are often transformed into highly processed food products, while fruits and vegetables received very little financial assistance. The 2023 Farm Bill is likely to address ongoing levels of support for these programs, as well as potential changes to how they are administered.

Crop Insurance

Right now, the federal government’s strategy to manage agricultural threats primarily revolves around taxpayer-financed crop insurance, which is available to farmers in all 50 states. For both conventional and organic operations, this insurance allows growers to cover up to 120 distinct crops when they experience disasters or damage.

The legislation that was passed in 2014 to benefit small and new farmers included provisions to provide better access to risk mitigation strategies, a more organized structure and quicker distribution of funds. However, there is growing pressure to make even more progress with the 2023 Farm Bill to ensure more equity and accessibility.

Conservation Programs, Climate Change and Sustainability

The Farm Bill also includes a number of conservation programs that are designed to protect natural resources. These programs have been expanded in recent years, and the 2023 Farm Bill is likely to address the ongoing levels of support for these programs. The legislation is also likely to include provisions related to climate change, such as incentives for farmers and ranchers to reduce their emissions and adopt more sustainable practices.

Agricultural Trade

The Farm Bill also includes provisions related to trade. This bill reinforces U. S. agricultural export programs, export credit guarantee programs and foreign food aid programs, both emergency and non-emergency. Additionally, it addresses topics relevant to the World Trade Organization requirements, such as trade disputes and subsidy limits.

Adapting Your Communications Strategy for Success

As Congress debates the 2023 Farm Bill, those invested in the food and agricultural industry should be preparing for the potential changes (good and bad) that the legislation may bring and positioning for the most favorable outcome. This requires sustained, multistakeholder communications efforts.

The current farm bill expires at the end of September, and if both parties can’t come to an agreement before October, they will likely need to pass a short-term extension. While the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry officially kicked off the process with field hearings in 2022, there is a long way to go—and significant gap between Democratic and Republic priorities.

Keeping tabs on the debate over the 2023 Farm Bill is the first step—invested parties should be watching the evolution of the legislation closely and aligning their communications strategy with their desired result. While keeping long-term goals in mind, it may be important to pivot tactics based on the current state of play as the bill comes together.

With the first full-scale, in-person World Economic Forum Annual Meeting since the pandemic now finished, and Davos season drawing to a close, it is clear the focus, ambitions, and content of the annual gathering are evolving at pace. Having attended on-site for the full week, as part of a client’s delegation, I can attest that nowhere was this more evident than in the composition and priorities of this year’s media attendees.

The relevance and influence of Davos have been subject to much debate across traditional and social media for several weeks now. The political press was keen to point out the no-shows from President Biden, President Xi, Prime Minister Modi, Prime Minister Sunak, and other major world leaders as a symbol of its fading influence.

In the UK, major news titles offset the perception of Davos as an elitist talking shop with the more pressing ‘real-world’ challenges facing our economy and households. But the idea that Davos’ influence is on the wane wasn’t reflected in the scale or mood on the ground, nor in the sheer volume of international media flying in and subsequent press coverage.

Indeed, as is typical, Davos dominated the political and business sections of most major outlets daily throughout the week, especially in the Western and Asian press. Predictions of the summit’s decline, at least with regards to press coverage and its ability to shape the news cycle, were premature. 

It is worth noting though, that, whilst Davos looks set to remain the date in the diary for the world’s business and political media, what they are covering, and how they are covering it, is clearly changing. Having spent much of my time in the on-site media centre, as well as working with roaming reporters throughout the week, a few themes stood out in particular:

1. Business supersedes politics

Senior politicians gave the event a miss and only one G7 leader, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, attended in-person. But this year saw a record number of C-suite executives and business leaders amass on the Alps. Of this year’s 2,700 participants, more than 1,600 were C-suite level within the private sector, and almost half of those were estimated to be CEOs. Notably, 119 of the world’s billionaires also joined the festivities.

This sharpened focus on the role of business, and connected topics of trade and technology, was mirrored in the media presence. Davos’ main street was dominated by pavilions and branding for CNBC, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal, by far the most visible media displays. Meanwhile political and current affairs press from BBC, CNN and Politico opted for small teams of roaming reporters rather than large, fixed locations and delegations.

2. Skip the small talk

Contrary to Davos’ overall reputation, and experience in recent years, there was very little appetite for general networking and off-the-record briefings from attending press.

Both in our media engagement prior to the week itself, and in our conversations with journalists on-site, they were after two things and two things only. First, quick, sharp, ideally exclusive, headlines, and second, commentary or quotes from senior spokespeople for wider stories they were working on.

In previous gatherings I have attended, journalists were typically receptive to offers of background briefings or introductory coffees during the summit, whether with us as PRs or our clients. However, this year there was a clear sense of urgency to cover all breaking news, and general networking simply was less of a priority.

In addition, more journalists were largely fixed to their desks in the media centre, writing their articles and churning out fast social-native content. When they were able to roam, it was always with purpose – to track down on-the-record spokespeople or conduct interviews.

3. Opinions over announcements

One piece of direct feedback consistently given by journalists throughout our Davos campaigning was that, unless we have something hugely ground-breaking and globally relevant to announce, it wouldn’t be considered ‘news’ in the context of the summit.

As ever, journalists covering the gathering both on-site and remotely were inundated with Davos-related press releases and media alerts. Several contacts admitted they ‘wouldn’t even bother trying to read through their inboxes’.

Looking at some of the major headlines from Davos – the World Trade Organization’s economic forecasting, Ukraine’s campaign for funding and arms, China’s re-opening for business – it’s easy to understand why more myopic corporate or government announcements did not cut through.

Going forward, the recommended approach would be to rely less on press releases and written materials, and instead place greater emphasis on concise media pitches and insightful spokesperson commentary.

From a media standpoint, Davos was as hectic and crowded as ever, and our first-hand impression was that the summit isn’t going anywhere any time soon. However, if the focus continues to shift away from politics and government and more toward business, finance, trade and innovation, so too must communications leads evolve their strategic messaging, the ways they engage with media and the content they offer.

Whilst the Swiss summit may still be a hub for networking and schmoozing, it is clear journalists want communicators and spokespeople to ‘get to the point’. Whether that’s by providing information that’s brand new, strengthens their stories with truly impactful commentary, or finding other ways to stand out from the general news, less is definitely more, and substance matters.

Sacramento, California is the Farm-to-Fork capital of the world, yet 58% of Sacramento kids rely on free and reduced lunch programs. Our current food system is taking a toll on our health and our kids’ health, but that’s where Food Literacy Center (FLC) and FleishmanHillard’s FH4Inclusion efforts make a difference. How? By inspiring kids to eat their vegetables.

In 2016, Amber Stott, FLC’s founder and Chief Food Genius approached FleishmanHillard’s Sacramento office with the possibility of partnering on a pro bono basis. As an office with a passion for food and a love for their city, it was a perfect match. Since then, we’ve been supporting FLC through ongoing communications support and events large and small.

FLC teaches elementary students in low-income neighborhoods fruit and veggie appreciation, cooking skills, how to read nutrition labels and the environmental impact of their food choices with a curriculum that’s fun for kids. With FleishmanHillard’s communication expertise, strategic planning and graphic design support, FLC is changing lives in the local community, and with hopes to reach the nation.

Our Sacramento team provides valuable support across FLC’s programs and initiatives. Twice a year, we promote their Kids Farmers Market to the community through the local press. In addition to promoting key moments such as Big Day of Giving and Giving Tuesday. In 2021, Amber started a podcast titled “Raising Kale” featuring conversations with movers and shakers across the food industry, including educators, chefs, farmers, food-equity advocates and community partners with whom FleishmanHillard assisted in connecting and coordinating. Most recently, our design team created a video celebrating FLC’s 10th anniversary.

In late 2021, FLC received the keys to their brand new self-titled facility that will be home to their cooking school. Previously, the nonprofit operated out of a small portable building. Now they have a 4,500 square foot space on 2.5 acres of land for their day-to-day operations. This new space can host about 30 students for cooking classes and includes a prep kitchen for staff and volunteers to prep food for after-school programs at Title 1 schools, as well as a space to host programs open to the community.

In October 2022, FLC hosted the grand opening of its new facility. For this momentous occasion, FleishmanHillard provided strategic and tactical expertise in media relations, ultimately resulting in broadcast coverage for the event and interviews with three major local news stations. Additionally, we staffed the event to assist in media coordination, event coordination and event photography.

The organization recently announced that they received major funding to construct the Food Literacy Center farm right outside of their new facility. As FLC grows, our office will continue to provide public relations expertise to highlight the positive impact of food literacy programs and underscore the importance of food and nutrition education for children in the Sacramento region. Undoubtedly, the FLC will become a place in the community where students and their families can build their skills and knowledge to live happier and healthier lives.