Energy and the Effects on Agriculture: Can We Survive?

Since President Biden came into office, there has been an increasing focus on “green energy” initiatives, resulting in radical changes in the oil industry. For example, the 2021 Executive Order resulted in the cancellation of the 2019 Keystone Pipeline permit.

But how are these radical changes impacting the U.S. agriculture industry, and will these changes allow survival of the industry?

On today’s episode of Gasonomics, host Tim Snyder speaks with Dan Jackson, CEO of Meadow Farmers Co-Op Gin, to talk about how President Biden’s and D.C.’s energy policies will come into play in the future of the agriculture industry.

Changes in U.S. agriculture don’t just impact the U.S.; they impact other countries as well due to being a key player in exports such as, animals, grains, and feed.

“Agriculture—whatever you say about it—we’re less than two percent of the population…Not only do our agriculture and producers feed this country, but they feed the world,” Jackson stated.

Throughout the episode, Snyder and Jackson also discussed…

1. What Jackson is hearing from Meadow Farmers Co-Op’s producers
2. The issue between President Biden’s timeline for electric vehicle use and obtaining additional power lines to support this initiative
3. Jackson’s thoughts on the increase in oil and crop prices

Jackson explained, “Agriculture is very sensitive to the energy sector and what’s going on in it. The increase of diesel prices also affects the fertilizer that we use, a lot of the chemicals that we use and things like that.” He added, “You also look at the input costs and the way the cotton market is right now is not good. There’s not a good incentive right now to go out and push my crops because it’s so dry in the input costs. Everything is being impacted by the poor energy policy that we’re seeing come out of D.C.”

Dan Jackson is a second-generation cotton gin manager. He is CEO of Meadow Farmers Co-Op Gin and attended Lubbock Christian University, where he graduated with a degree in Business Communication. Jackson began his career managing cotton gins in 1996 and has been at Meadow Co-Op since 2002. Jackson also has his own radio show, TownTalk.

Article written by Cara Schildmeyer