Policy Perspectives: Patrick Wade Discusses NASDA’s Rural Development Policies and NASS Data

Q&A

In a recent interview, NASDA Director of Public Policy Patrick Wade talks about NASDA’s work on agricultural labor, pesticide rules, and rural development. He explains how NASS data helps with these efforts and supports farmers and ranchers. Before joining NASDA, Patrick served as Policy Director for the Texas Grain Sorghum Producers, where he often relied on NASS data to demonstrate the importance of grain sorghum to key state legislators’ districts.

Tell us about your role and what you do at NASDA

As a Director of Public Policy, I lead NASDA’s engagement on policies that fall under both our Plant Agriculture & Pesticide Regulations Committee as well as our Rural Development & Financial Security Committee. While these issue areas have little in common, we bring NASDA’s mission of advancing nonpartisan, collaborative solutions to each portfolio.

For Plant Agriculture & Pesticide Regulations, this means a commitment to science-based, transparent, and enforceable regulations. For Rural Development & Financial Security, this means we support policies that work to strengthen rural economies of all backgrounds. In each of these portfolios, the comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased data compiled by NASS is a critical tool.

How does NASS data on chemical and fertilizer use help NASDA shape policies on pesticide regulations? 

NASS Agricultural Chemical Use surveys are a crucial pillar of support in NASDA’s commitment to science-based, accurate data to inform regulatory frameworks. In compiling statistics on items such as on-farm and post-harvest commercial fertilizer use and pesticide use and pest management practices, this NASS survey helps bolster authentic perspectives on which chemicals and agricultural technologies rely on. Additionally, these surveys stratify results across geography and commodities, allowing us to target our outreach to certain regions or stakeholders.

As EPA endeavors to register and re-register countless pesticide products under its new Endangered Species Act Workplan, it is particularly important that we have as accurate and representative data about pesticide use as possible to ensure that NASDA’s engagement with these processes is effective and trustworthy. https://www.nasda.org/policy/plant-agriculture-pesticides/pesticide-regulation/

What are NASDA’s priorities for agricultural labor issues? How do NASS surveys support these efforts?

NASDA supports broad reforms to the H-2A visa program for temporary agricultural workers, including allowing for year-round workers, pathways for H-2A workers in good standing to apply for permanent visa residence or citizenship, and the establishment of “at-will” visas that broaden H-2A employees’ flexibility to shift between employers, among many other priorities.

One of the most important resources in this effort – and in agricultural labor conversations at large – is the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), which effectively sets a minimum wage for most H-2A workers across 15 regions in the country. The Department of Labor bases these AEWRs on NASS’s November Farm Labor report data. Therefore, the work that NASS does in surveying field and livestock worker wage is an essential part of understanding the landscape of agricultural labor across the country.

How does the Census of Agriculture support NASDA’s efforts to promote rural development?

The Census of Agriculture is a valuable resource for highlighting the most pressing needs across America’s rural communities. By providing state- and county-level data on subjects such as an aging workforce, internet access, operation size, land ownership trends, and so much more, it allows us to paint the most accurate and actionable picture of rural America.

This informs nearly all of the issue areas under NASDA’s Rural Development & Financial Security committee, including infrastructure, agricultural research, broadband, mental health, and workforce development. By evaluating key trends in rural demographics and economics, we can best advocate for the most pressing policy needs. And since the Census of Agriculture is segmented by states and counties, it helps us tailor our engagement with each of our respective NASDA members.

What inspired you to work in agriculture policy and what do you enjoy most about your work?

I do not come from an agricultural – or even a rural – background, so my journey to a career in agricultural policy is non-traditional. I grew up in Austin, Texas and studied government and economics at the University of Texas. I was drawn to public policy from a young age and sought out internships that would allow me to explore different career opportunities in that space. One of those internships was with the Government Affairs team at DuPont (now Corteva Agriscience). This role exposed me to countless insights in the policymaking process, but most impactfully, it connected me with grower organizations such as Texas Grain Sorghum Producers, where I began my career after graduation.

I had a small checklist for potential career opportunities at the time: Was the organization nonpartisan? Was its mission in service of the state of Texas? If it checked both of those boxes, I was interested. At Texas Grain Sorghum Producers, I was able to check those boxes and continue to learn about what matters most to me in this work.

At the heart of what I enjoy most about this work is the opportunity to learn about farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural professionals and their respective connections to their land, their communities, and their heritage. Every farmer I’ve met recognizes that they are part of a larger tradition of agriculture. It’s a privilege to be able to support those connections through public policy advocacy.

One of the unique benefits of a program like NASS is how it connects the individual to the greater whole and vice-versa. In completing these surveys, individuals can help policymakers recognize and respond to emerging trends. At the same time, each NASS survey respondent is an individual farmer or rancher or agricultural professional. It’s a necessary reminder that all of these efforts, at the end of the day, are about helping real people.