Host Aaron Harries and Kansas Wheat CEO Justin Gilpin sit down with Kieffer, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers, to discuss farm profitability, federal policy, and the value of farmers speaking for themselves.
Raised on a Pennsylvania grain and cattle farm, Kieffer shares how military service and a career with Farm Bureau shaped his approach to representing wheat growers.
Recorded September 30, 2026, this conversation captures his perspective on the farm bill debate at that time.
It also looks beyond legislation to the research, relationships, and demand-building efforts that support wheat’s future.
In this episode:
• Why Kieffer sees a completed farm bill as a source of certainty, even though it cannot solve every input-cost problem.
• How wheat organizations connect policy advocacy, export development, and grower education.
• Why regional wheat challenges make land-grant research and continued breeding investment so important.
• How biofuels and diversified cropping systems fit into Kansas wheat’s profitability conversation.
• What farmers can bring to a meeting with elected officials to make the economics of their operation clear.
Detailed timestamped rundown
00:00:00 — Opening: Why Wheat Needs a Farm Bill
00:00:24 — Introducing NAWG CEO Sam Kieffer
00:01:34 — Justin Gilpin Joins the Conversation
00:01:56 — Pennsylvania Farm Roots and Family Transition
00:02:44 — Scouting, Military Service, and September 11
00:04:31 — From Farm Bureau to Wheat Advocacy
00:07:43 — Careers That Started With Newspaper Ads
00:08:59 — NAWG’s Priorities: Growers, Growth, and Policy
00:13:13 — How Wheat Organizations Work Together
00:13:58 — Profitability, Export Programs, and Grower Education
00:17:31 — The Farm Bill Outlook at Recording
00:17:55 — Congressional Hurdles and Wheat Policy Priorities
00:21:50 — What Another Farm Bill Delay Could Mean
00:23:39 — Input Costs and Competing Commodity Priorities
00:24:01 — Food Security and Rural Prosperity
00:25:44 — The Challenge of Investing With Tight Margins
00:27:48 — Kansas Cropping Systems, Ethanol, and 45Z
00:29:06 — Why Wheat Needs Public Research
00:32:02 — Kansas Wheat Innovation Center and Research Leadership
00:32:49 — What Farmers Should Tell Elected Officials
00:33:10 — Bring Fuel Receipts and Crop Contracts
00:34:16 — Bridge Assistance and Building Political Relationships
00:36:42 — Closing Conversation
00:37:04 — Listener Questions and Episode Resources
