Paul Karsting, senior policy adviser to the Washington, DC law firm Olsson, Frank, Weeda, Termen, and Metz, speaking Dec. 10 at the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) 2020 Country Elevator Conference, identified four policy priorities for rural America that will be the focus of the new Biden administration.

Karsting headed a task force that advised the Biden campaign on rural issues.

The four areas of focus include:

  • A more focused – not chaotic – response to the COVID=19 pandemic.
  • Predictable and increasing access to foreign markets for U.S. agricultural commodities and finished goods.
  • A reliable supply of farm labor, which will require resolution of immigration issues.
  • More attention to be paid to climate change and the role of agriculture in addressing it

Karsting also was more optimistic in his outlook for the relationship between a Biden White House and a Republican-controlled Senate (if Republicans retain control of the Senate following a Jan. 5 special election in Georgia).

He played a video of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, paying tribute to the former U.S. Sen. Joe Biden.