agriculture

On Day One, the new president should recognize that the U.S. needs to listen and respond to the concerns of other major stakeholders in the international community. He or she should also articulate a vision that is both big and broad; for example, the next president should endorse binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nuclear weapons, close Guantanamo Bay, and respond to the needs and concerns of the developing world by ending or dramatically reducing agricultural subsidies.

On Day One, announce a permanent phase-out of all agricultural subsidies over the next four years. All of them. The entire system is an arcanely overcomplicated, antiquated relic of entitlement that hurts both farmers and consumers. We need a completely new way of thinking about food on both a national and global level, one that encompasses human and planet health in an honest and comprehensive way.

American livestock owners are being subjected to a program that will put them out of business. The National Animal Identification System does nothing to promote animal health or food safety. It is essentially a tax, registering farm locations, requiring movement tracking and purchasing equipment that is not even invented yet in some cases. This is a voluntary USDA program but states are being encouraged to make mandatory locally. Protect sustainable farms and promote healthy food, stop NAIS

Announce plans for a food garden on the White House lawn, making one of the White House's eight gardeners responsible for it, with part of produce going to the White House kitchen and the rest to a local food pantry. The White House is "America's House" and should set an example. The new President would not be breaking with tradition, but returning to it (the White House has had vegetable gardens before) and showing how we can meet global challenges such as climate change and food security.