CropLife Retail Week: DC Trip, Dockworkers Agreement, and Glyphosate in Australia

Eric Sfiligoj and Lara Sowinski discuss the recent CropLife visit to the nation’s capital, an agreed for longshoremen, and a dismissal of glyphosate lawsuits down under.

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*Below is a partial and edited transcript:

Eric Sfiligoj: Hello. Welcome to another edition of CropLife Retail Week. I’m Eric Sfiligoj, editor. CropLife. Here again with Lara Sowinski, my partner in crime. Lara. How are you doing today?

Lara Sowinski: Well. Thank you. How are you?

ES: I am, I am good, so. Hey, I know, this week, I guess we’ll start out with something that is really top of mind.

And of course, everybody’s focused on Washington, DC, because we’re getting ready for the inauguration coming up here in another week, week and a half, give or take. And I guess, you actually had a little road trip to Washington, DC where you get to talk to some folks and see some things. So tell us about who you saw and kind of what the mood is there in our nation’s capital right now.

LS: Well, honestly, on a personal note, it was really, a great trip for me. I had only been there one time before, in 1976, during the bicentennial. Holy moly, I had no idea. Yeah, I get to DC 2 or 3 times a year, so I guess I’ll guess I’ll have to search. Shuttling more trips your way. So yes, go ahead please.

Yeah. No, it was great. You know, we, traveled our teammate, Rick Welder was along, on the trip as well. So I hadn’t been there since 76, when our high school orchestra won. National Orchestra competition. We played in the rotunda and did some sightseeing. So it was a big deal for me, to go back, and I don’t know, kind of dorky, but I kind of feel really like, wow.

You know, like, Miss Lara goes to Washington. That’s the. It was a great trip. This past week, we had a full, this visit itinerary. We started off, visiting with the USDA. Is, some of you may recall, particularly those that, know about our women and AD tech initiative. The UN announced earlier. Well, in spring of 24, the U.N. was declaring 2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer.

And we were all excited about it. We are excited about it at women and Ag tech, and we wanted to find out if there is a way that we could participate to contribute and help promote the declaration. And, lo and behold, one of our Women in tech ambassadors, Joyce Hunter, who was serving on, with the USDA under the Obama administration, still very well connected, particularly with the USDA, and found out that the USDA has, a team that is working on this and is doing a lot to, be part of this, un declaration and do a lot of work here in the United States.

There are, two pages, lists of, of countries around the world that are getting behind this. So we had a meeting with the USDA. They also had not only members from their team there in Washington, D.C.. They had a member of the UN’s for an agriculture or organization, from Rome. She had come in as well for the meeting.

So it was a pretty big deal. And, we learned more about what they’re doing, a time frame, what they’ll be doing 2025 this year, lead up to 2026. So suffice it to say that women and ad tech, will very much be participating and, doing things, to support and get the word out. So that was super excited is a great way to kind of start the trip.

We followed up with, meetings with CropLife America, Alex Dunn and we have mentioned before that our CropLife March issue will feature our industry partner, associate shins, four of whom thankfully are housed in one. Beautiful building. So it was easy to meet with not only CropLife America, but ARA, The Fertilizer Institute and CPDA.

So, our teammate Rick and I, we had meetings, all day, on Wednesday, you know, starting early and and ending late. And then on, Thursday of this week, we did meet, thankfully, with Ted McKinney, the National Association for State Department to back, to, was supposed to be out of town, but his schedule had changed, so we thankfully got to meet with him.

I tell you, we, I think I’ve got more notes from this past week than I did. I probably from the past year or so. It’s probably going to take me a couple days or two to reflect back and go over my notes. But it was super exciting and so helpful. I just, a theme that keeps on recurring.

And this, was prominent during CPDA’s annual meeting in San Diego last September, at which time the ESA was a big part of the conversations during that meeting, and Terry Kippley and all the members of CPDA and the associations that I just mentioned, they are absolutely committed to this whole theme of collaborating, working together, speaking in a unified voice not only to educate lawmakers, but to certainly get some, some movement on, you know, what?

What can we do? Okay, we know this is you know, what’s out there in terms of the herbicide strategy, the soon to be released final insecticides strategy, and then the forthcoming fungicide strategy, a lot of big changes. And the only way to really, I’d advocate effectively is to really have everyone come together. So that was another thing that was just, really big part of the conversation, this past week.

ES: So that was really great to see. So I know a CropLife here will be, of course, you know, kind of, continuing, you know, getting a lot of, you know, stuff out not only in the essay, in written form newsletters, certainly. I anticipate a couple more interactive webinars. And, so that was a big part of the discussions, and it was great.

The farm, farm, farm bill discussion, that was as well, part of what we were, you know, doing this week. It looks like, we certainly feel a little bit better. I know, right now it’s, extended into March, but it looks like a lot of the components that, are there now. There’s a good chance that they’ll stay, so that feels a little bit better.

Still some uncertainty, of course. New administration, some talk about trade and tariffs. So we’ll see where that goes. But really just to fantastic week. Time well spent. And just everyone was so gracious and welcoming and we just had a great time. So thankful that we got to get out and, and, and see everyone, even though I had a come back a different route because of the doggone snow that was, was clogging up the, the whole state of, of, of Texas, but all good and say as, as we say here in Ohio, where I happen to be, it’s winter.

LS: Yeah. Yeah. Right, right. And I’m thinking, oh my goodness, I hope there’s a way to get home. So all good. And then I’ll, I’ll just end on a, a really a good high, high note. And I guess I’ll kind of have to eat my words because I was uncertain that the, tentative agreement that the Iola longshoremen and that us and the, waterfront employers on that would be for associations containerized ocean carriers, etc..

If you recall, the, master agreement had expired last September. 3 or 4 days of, a strike, at which time they decided to, you know, kind of put something in place until January 15th, which is, right around the corner. And on Wednesday, January 8th, much to my surprise and delight, the two parties said that they had reached an agreement so there would not be any disruption, on the East Coast and Gulf Coast as far as ocean borne, particularly containerized.

Freight. In fact, the trucker had an item. I did want to mention one thing, because this did come up even during our discussions, the status with, the the strike and what would happen. So, bulk soybean and grain export facilities in the Gulf, East Coast and Great Lakes, they’re not quite part of this arrangement. They either have their own, people that work the vessels and so forth.

However, it would have, you know, had this dragged on or, past the deadline. It was the containerized soybeans, soybean being meal other ag exports, that are containerized, of course, children, frozen meat, eggs, etc.. So yeah. So some folks are like, yeah, no, it’s not a big deal because, well, true for the bulk stuff, but still the containerized, exports would have been affected.

So it’s a whole lot of talking. I just did that is okay. Quick question, though, because I know the dockworkers I saw that report to. I saw that, you know, they negotiated 61.5% pay raise over six years, which which is good. You and I have to talk after we’re off camera. I’d like a 10% pay raise every year for the next six years as well.

But, but you you had mentioned earlier when we were talking about this, the, you know, the issue of automation and the use of automation and automated systems on the docks was a little bit of a sticking point. Any update on what was in the final contract regarding that? Yeah, the final contract, I guess, I don’t know that they’ve released it.

This was just a tentative agreement. That was announced on January 8th, but, other reports that I read, there was concessions on, on both sides. We’ll, we’ll do this, but not this, so. Okay. Well, both sides got a little bit. It wasn’t a full blown you know, we’re displacing longshoremen. Nor was it a hard.

No. You know, pencil and paper. Only the the two sides to their credit, found a way to come to an agreement on that point, which is it’s going to be a sticking point, for the ILWU on the West Coast when that time comes. Right. Is just that is the big thing that everyone is concerned about.

No. Yeah. All right. Well, I like I said, I just wondered if you had an update on that. So again viewers, stay tuned as we find out more information. We will be more than happy to share. Because we like listening to Laura talk and stop for 11 minutes so fitly as a couple. All right, well, hey, keeping with our theme of good news, I have some to share as well.

ES: Again, of course, we, you know, for years we’ve talked about this whole litigation going on across the world regarding glyphosate, and the former Monsanto. Now, Bayer, of course, in fighting in the courtrooms of the world to, basically defend the use of their product against folks that are saying that using that product is harm them.

So we found out this week that, the Federal Court of Australia has ended all roundup cases in the country. Basically, they’ve agreed with the plaintiff in this case, Bayer, that the, the suits that had been brought in the country had no merit. We’re not based on science, so they should be dismissed. So I guess, in this case, Bayer and, glyphosate now is free and clear in, the land down Under.

But of course, they’re still fighting, litigation in the United States. And I know based on some things I’ve read, it sounds like this may end up before the Supreme Court to ultimately decide whether state labels are superseded by federal labels. And and again, we’ll we will find out. But in Australia, which I guess they’re getting ready for a big tennis match down there as well.

And I’m a big fan of that. There is not going to be any more litigation for Bayer regarding glyphosate. That’s good news too. And I’m wondering how much, bearing that will have on, legal outcomes here in the U.S but yeah, now that’s a big development for sure. And I was going to say, and I know in the the item that I had picked this up from, they mentioned that, Bayer’s had already favorable outcomes in 15 of their 22 trials regarding the site here in the US.

So, again, their win percentage is going up, which is good news for them, good news for the industry, of course. So all right.