Food Is A National Security Issue – U.S.A. Representative Jim Costa
From Farm To Table Talk by Rodger Wasson
May 22, 2026 · 56 min
About this episode
Rodger Wasson interviews Congressman Jim Costa about the importance of the Farm Bill and its implications for food security and agriculture policy in the U.S.
Food is a national security issue and passing an updated farm bill is of critical importance to both farmers and consumers, especially the food insecure. Rodger Wasson visits with Congressman Jim Costa, a leading member of the House of Representatives Agriculture committee, who voted for advancing the long overdue ‘work in progress” to the US Senate. Rodger Wasson and Congressman Costa discuss agriculture policy and Congressman Costa explains the importance of the Farm Bill as America’s food safety net, noting that despite challenges in agriculture, American farmers now produce more food with less than 5% of the population working in agriculture compared to 40% employed in Ag 126 years ago. The conversation covered concerns about Proposition 12 animal confinement standards potentially being eliminated in the Farm Bill, the need for labor reform affecting the estimated 70% undocumented workforce in California agriculture, and the impact of trade wars on agricultural markets. Congressman Costa emphasizesthe need for bipartisanship in passing the Farm Bill and expresseds optimism about American agriculture’s ability to adapt and innovate despite current…
People in this episode
Host: Rodger Wasson
Guest: Jim Costa
Topics covered
- food security
- agriculture policy
- Farm Bill
- bipartisanship
- labor reform
- trade wars
Keywords
- national security
- farm bill
- food safety net
- agriculture
- labor reform
- trade wars
- bipartisanship
- food insecurity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: House of Representatives Agriculture committee, Proposition 12
Places: California, U.S.A.
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