ALEXANDRIA, VA, March 18, 2024 – NARA President & CEO Kent Swisher appeared today at the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and was a panelist on the topic of “Turning Waste into Rural Revenues.”
NARA’s President and CEO, Kent Swisher, told the audience that he was pleased to see carbon recycling and nutrient capture being highlighted during the summit. He said, “Welcome to our world. Renderers have been doing nutrient repurposing 1800s.”
Moderator Spencer Chase of Agri-Pulse invited the panelists to introduce themselves and their companies/organizations involved in waste transformation. Panelists included:
- Janicki, Chief Revenue Officer Sedron Technologies
- Samuel Liebl, Director of Sustainability and Communications, Denali
- Scott Kalb, Co-Founder & Chairman, KLTI Advisors
- Kent Swisher, President & CEO, NARA
The panelists talked about the need for more clarity on policy issues such as tax incentive programs and environmental regulation in order for innovation to continue and agri-businesses involved in nutrient capture and food waste reduction to thrive. Swisher said, “If the end goal is a reduction in carbon emissions and food waste and loss, then our government programs shouldn’t be picking winners and losers. We need a technology-neutral approach that allows all industries to flourish because it will take all of us to reach our climate action goals.”
Other notable speakers during the summit included U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Senate Agricultural Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-WI) and Senate Agricultural Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-MT).
The event was a series of panel discussions and keynote speakers focused on a variety of topics contributing to the theme: “Revitalizing Rural Revenues.” Speakers and panelists covered a wide variety of ways that people who live and work in Rural America are developing innovative new products from the land and finding creative ways to start businesses.
