SIOUX CITY — In the early minutes of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s 2023 Heartland Summit, Liz Schrayer, the group’s president and CEO, posed a question meant to organize the morning’s proceedings.
“What’s it worth? What’s it worth to be engaged in the world?” Schrayer asked businesspeople and politicians gathered at the River Bend Conference Center in Sioux City, remotely in Detroit, Michigan, and watching online.
The third-annual, multi-state event is billed as a way of showcasing how advancements in the Midwest can shape international interests such as food stability, global development and security. Sponsored locally by Cargill, the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, Western Iowa Tech Community College, Vermeer, Iowa League of Cities and Veterans in Agriculture, the event was kicked off in part by Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott and featured a Q&A with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa about her belief, “food security is national security.”
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Liz Schrayer, President and CEO of USGLC, makes remarks at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition's 2023 Heartland Summit Thursday, June 29, 202…
When Schrayer asked attendees to vote on their phones about what American global leadership is worth to the heartland, the most common answers were: everything, prosperity, security and peace.
“To me, these are all about global stability. Global stability means American stability,” Schrayer said. “You see it right now. Russian instability is literally spilling into the world. The war in Ukraine, last summer, I talked about how it’s impacting our gas prices. The global food crisis is impacting the supply chain. The global challenges are daunting.”
Further adding to the list of challenges, Schrayer said, was China ramping up its investments abroad including in African nations. According to analysis from Harvard University, Chinese firms comprise about an eighth of Africa’s industrial output and China holds $153 billion in African loans.
“We’ve got to step up our game,” Schrayer said.
During the discussion with Ernst, Schrayer asked how a state such as Iowa handles a relationship with China, which is its fourth-largest trading partner but also an agricultural competitor.
“This is a difficult relationship,” Ernst said. “There is absolutely no doubt about it and we shouldn’t tiptoe around it folks. Everyone in this room probably knows and understands that I am a very harsh critic of China because they are our No. 1 pacing threat. They are our No. 1 adversary.”
Ernst went on to suggest China taking on more of a leadership role in foreign trade and global security could give them more of a say in the lives of everyday Iowans.
“At some point, they start dictating to you how you will live your life, how you will run your business, how you will grow your crops, how you will raise your livestock,” Ernst said. “I am not ready to have Russia or China or Iran tell us as Americans how we should engage.”
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, right, answers a question from Liz Schrayer, President andf CEO of USGLC, during the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition's …
With respect to Russia’s war in Ukraine, and a recent short-lived mutiny of mercenaries from the country, Ernst said it’s critical for Americans to understand why the United States is providing tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine. Tuesday, the Biden administration announced it would send more than 50 heavily armored vehicles and missiles for air defense systems.
“We are providing the equipment for Ukrainian forces, as are many other nations,” Ernst said. “We are not engaging in blood. We do not have American men and women who are fighting against the Russians. It’s a good opportunity for us to be able to support a friend in Europe, understanding that if Ukraine falls, that advances Russia into Europe and advances Russia in opportunities of other nations in Europe.”
Ernst then called Ukraine a “great exporter” and the “breadbasket of Europe” and said it plays a crucial role in feeding the Middle East as well.
The latter role, Ernst said, provides a measure of national security.
“When you have people who are hungry, they turn to violent extremist organizations for their avenue toward prosperity and when they gain in numbers and strength then we see those issues. We’ve seen it in the past. We wish to avoid it in the future,” Ernst said.
Dan Glickman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, speaks during the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition's 2023 Heartland Summit Thursday, June …
In his opening remarks for the event, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, who served from 1995 until 2001, said no industry is as dependent on global events and policies as agriculture.
“Whether it’s in the trade area, investment, research and development, climate, nutrition, we’re in the center of the world,” Glickman said. “And so this conference is particularly important in recognizing the tie between the heartland and the rest of the world.”
For his part, Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott said leading globally begins locally and that the kinds of issue the event covered reach across the political divide.
“These are issues worth talking about at the kitchen table with your family and at the local diners with friends,” Scott said.
Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott gives introductory remarks along with Wayne County (Michigan) Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch, who appeared via a liv…
Other speakers at the event included Michael Wagner, a managing director for starch, sweeteners and texturizers at Cargill, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, Michigan and Marcus Jadotte, the vice president of government relations and public policy for Google.