Food system outsiders are paving a path and it could be taking agriculture in the wrong direction. Ray Starling, former Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture and currently the General Counsel at the North Carolina Chamber and an Executive Advisor with Aimpoint Research shares the realities of the food system outsider problem and how we can protect our future. Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Ray:
1:39: Farmer vs food system outsider problem
5:42: Ah-ha moment and why be so public about this topic
8:37: Cultural trends impacting the problem
11:48: How the problem impacts public policy     
13:38: How outsiders are leveraging the legal system
18:07: When’s the right time to act
24:40: Is this a worldwide problem
 26:16: Importance of exports  
 27:36: What part of agriculture is the most vulnerable to the problem  
30:50: How can we bridge the gap between farmers vs food system outsiders
34:42: What is the process to fix the problem
40:18: How to safeguard the future of agriculture   
42:00: How to protect animal agriculture from a national and international standpoint
42:56: How much time do we have to turn this problem around

Special thanks to the Animal Agriculture Alliance for sponsoring this episode.
Ray will be speaking at the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit on May 4-5 in Arlington, VA. It is a one-of-a-kind conference attended by a diverse group of decision makers, including representatives from farms, ranches, allied industries, food processors, restaurants, grocery stores, legislatures, universities, government agencies and media. Registration is available through May 1 at bit.ly/AAA23Summit.
About the guest
Ray Starling is an attorney, public policy professional, law professor, ag system thought leader, former Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture, and farm kid from Autryville, North Carolina with a tremendous passion for the agriculture industry.  With almost three decades of experience in navigating how public policy impacts farmers and agribusiness leaders, Ray has seen a lot, but readily admits we are in the midst of a new era of outside influence in agriculture.   
In his role as Executive Advisor for Aimpoint Research, Ray Starling serves as invaluable resource on public policy and legal developments that have the potential to impact the agri-food value chain.  He continues to serve as general counsel for the NC Chamber of Commerce and president of the NC Chamber Legal Institute as well.  The NC Chamber is the leading business advocacy organization in North Carolina. Its core business is to work in the legislative, regulatory, and political arenas to proactively drive positive change, ensuring that North Carolina is one of the best places in the world to do business.  That work paid off recently when North Carolina was named by CNBC as “America’s Top State for Business,” including agribusiness.   
Prior to joining the NC Chamber team, Ray served as the Chief of Staff to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue where he coordinated execution of the Secretary's policy agenda for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At the time, the agency employed over 100,000 public servants, and received a budget of over $160 billion annually.  Ray focused on regulatory and deregulatory initiatives and acted as a point of contact for stakeholders throughout agriculture and rural communities.  
He has also served as the principal agriculture advisor to the President of the United States at the White House, as a staff member of the National Economic Council.  Ray has served as chief of staff, lead agriculture advisor, and chief counsel for U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, and was general counsel to Tillis when Tillis was Speaker of the House in the North Carolina legislature. Early in his career, Ray was general counsel to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, serving alongside the state’s beloved elected Commissioner of Agriculture, Steven Troxl