396. Indiana Farm Bureau’s Katie Nelson on legislative priorities, trade agreements + navigating uncertainty

Indiana Farm Bureau has outlined its legislative priorities for 2026 and this week. Katie Nelson, the organization’s Executive Director of Public Policy, joins this week to talk about the three buckets of prioritization heading into session, why they’re focused on broad issues and the call to action for agbioscience innovators. We get into:  

• A legislative recap of 2025 and lingering challenges that persist for the industry 
• The broad policy scope that Indiana Farm Bureau has casted heading into 2026 and the “why” behind that 
• Investment in agriculture, the challenges farmers are facing and how Katie hopes some measures move forward to enable operational success 
• Helping rural communities thrive, the uphill battles being faced – from education to healthcare – and where Indiana Farm Bureau plans to be most active 
• Supporting Indiana farmers through helping them to have the resources they need (water, land, etc.) 
• How Indiana Farm Bureau is navigating federal challenges, the shutdown and conversations on behalf of farmers 
• Trade agreements they’re eyeing heading into 2026 that may impact Indiana farmers most critically 
• The call to action for the agbioscience community to drive these priorities forward