Key Takeaways
- Idealyst Innovation has established the Center for American Food Power (CAFP) to integrate U.S. agrifood policy with national security.
- The CAFP serves as a nonpartisan think tank focused on long-term resilience, geopolitical relevance, and agricultural competitiveness.
- The newly formed American Food Power Council includes senior leaders from the Meat Institute, National Milk Producers Federation, and iSelect Fund.
- This initiative aims to shift the U.S. agricultural industry from a defensive posture to a proactive, strategy-driven global leader.
- The organization will provide strategic analysis and policy frameworks to address structural shifts in trade, technology, and labor.
National Security and the Idealyst Innovation Strategy
Idealyst Innovation has announced the launch of the Center for American Food Power (CAFP), a strategic think tank designed to bridge the gap between agricultural production and national security. Headquartered in a landscape of shifting global trade and geopolitical volatility, the CAFP aims to modernize the assumptions that have guided American food systems for decades.
The think tank’s primary objective is to develop a comprehensive national agrifood strategy. By aligning market realities with policy recommendations, Idealyst Innovation seeks to ensure that the U.S. remains a global agricultural force despite emerging challenges in technology and labor.
The American Food Power Council Leadership
Central to the CAFP is the American Food Power Council, a body of experts tasked with cross-sector coordination. The council features a diverse array of leaders, including Brett Sciotto of Idealyst Innovation, former CFTC Commissioner Dave Spears, and Chuck Conner, a veteran ag policy expert. This group will provide the specialized expertise needed to navigate complex regulatory and economic environments.
“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. “This moment requires a clear, future‑focused strategy that connects agrifood policy, market realities and national security objectives in a far more deliberate way.”
Strengthening Idealyst Innovation Nonpartisan Platforms
The CAFP functions as a nonpartisan platform, inviting engagement from organizations across the agrifood value chain. It focuses on strategic analysis to prevent the fragmentation of the industry. Co-founder Ray Starling emphasized that the organization is looking for robust engagement to preserve domestic “Food Power” against short-term disruptions.
The center identifies that without a well-integrated policy framework, the U.S. agricultural sector risks becoming defensive. Through the CAFP, Idealyst Innovation provides a venue for developing the innovation and planning necessary to sustain future leadership on the world stage.
Future Resilience and Strategic Analysis
The CAFP will continue to expand its council membership to maintain broad representation across all sectors of the food industry. By focusing on geopolitical relevance, the think tank intends to position U.S. agriculture as a proactive element of American foreign and domestic policy.
“The systems and assumptions that served us well in the past are being tested,” Sciotto added. “Without well-integrated strategies and policy recommendations, our industry risks becoming defensive and fragmented, hindering progress and innovation.”
