Idealyst Innovation, a firm focused on empowering the future of agrifood through innovation and business transformation, is establishing the Center for American Food Power (CAFP), a strategic think tank created to strengthen US agriculture by advancing a comprehensive national agrifood strategy aligned with national security priorities.

The launch comes at a pivotal moment for US agriculture. Structural shifts across production, trade, labor, technology and geopolitics are reshaping the agrifood system, challenging long‑standing models that have underpinned American leadership for decades. While US agriculture remains a global force, past approaches alone will not sustain future strength without disciplined planning and closer integration with national security strategy.

“American agriculture is more than a strategic industry and economic engine – it is the foundation of our national security,” said Brett Sciotto, founder of the Center for American Food Power and CEO of Idealyst Innovation. “The systems and assumptions that served us well in the past are being tested.

"This moment requires a clear, future‑focused strategy that connects agrifood policy, market realities and national security objectives in a far more deliberate way. Without well-integrated strategies and policy recommendations, our industry risks becoming defensive and fragmented, hindering progress and innovation.”

The Center for American Food Power will serve as a nonpartisan platform for strategic analysis, cross-sector coordination and policy framework development, with the goal of positioning US agriculture for long‑term resilience, competitiveness and geopolitical relevance.

As part of its launch, the center has formed the American Food Power Council, a leadership body composed of senior leaders from across agriculture, policy and adjacent sectors. Initial Council members include:

• Brett Sciotto, CEO of Idealyst Innovation
• Ray Starling, general counsel for the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce
• Chuck Conner, ag policy expert and former CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
• Gregg Doud, president and CEO at the National Milk Producers Federation
• Bill Even, commissioner at the South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development
• Devin Fuhrman, chief agriculture and sponsor relations officer at Nationwide Insurance
• Joel Leftwich, chief strategy officer at Kansas Farm Bureau
• Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO at the Meat Institute
• Mark Schweitzer, ag investor and former corporate VP of global economic research at ADM
• Adam Sharp, executive vice president at Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
• Greg Somerhalder, partner and executive advisor for Idealyst Innovation, former Farm Credit executive
• Dave Spears, ag policy Advisor, former CFTC commissioner, and chairman of Agricultural Retailers Association (2026-2027)
• Carter Williams, CEO and managing principal, iSelect Fund

Additional members will be added over time to ensure broad representation and perspective.

Starling, co-founder of CAFP, emphasized the importance of the effort, “While challenges and complexities will evolve as the world changes, we must not let short-term disruptions prevent us from establishing a long-term plan that preserves American Food Power and strengthens our industry for the future. We are seeking broad and robust engagement from organizations and leaders across American agrifood.”

Source: Idealyst Innovation