On April 21-23, 2026, AACI members traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the association’s 2026 spring fly-in. The week began with a conversation with Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) at the AACI offices. Following the conversation, a welcome lunch was held where individuals briefly met with one another before staff reviewed the schedule for the week as well as the talking points for each of the meetings.
After lunch, the group made their way to the Senate side of the Hill to meet with staff from the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. The group first met with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Boozman’s (R-AR) team, Brad Weddelman and Emma Rethans. This was followed by a meeting with Josh Tonsager, who serves as professional staff for Ranking Member Klobuchar’s (D-MN) staff. The group then met with Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), and rounded out the afternoon with Harlea Hoelscher, Professional Staff for the House Agriculture Committee Majority under Chairman Thompson (R-PA-15).
Later in the afternoon, the group participated in a political briefing and reception at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). The group received a political briefing from NRCC staff Ezra Riggs, Deputy Political Director, and Daniel Luongo, Polling Director. Following the briefing, the group held a GOP check drop reception for fourteen Members of the NRCC Patriot Program, including Reps. Nick Begich (AK-AL), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Jen Kiggans (VA-02). To close out the day, the group attended a joint reception with the Big I at City Tap House.
On Wednesday morning, the group participated in political events at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). The morning began with a political briefing given by Will Van Nuys, Deputy Executive Director of the DCCC. Following the briefing, the group held a Frontline Members check pick up reception with over 20 Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Adam Gray (CA-13), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), and Steven Horsford (NV-04).
Next, the group headed to Capitol Hill for individual meetings with House and Senate offices. During these meetings, participants met their groups in front of various office buildings and shared the association’s priorities with congressional staff. At the end of the day, attendees watched the Washington Nationals vs. Braves baseball game at Nationals Stadium for some fun and debrief.
On Thursday morning, AACI held a briefing at the AACI offices featuring Jonah Shumate, Deputy Staff Director for the House Intelligence Committee. Mr. Shumate provided the group with an overview of the War in Iran. For the final meeting of the week, the group met with RMA Administrator Pat Swanson and her senior staff, including Heather Manzano and Clayton Joyner. The meeting allowed AACI members to engage directly with the leadership at RMA to discuss the crop insurance program.
AACI Leadership Class – Course 3
As part of AACI’s fly-in, the association conducted the third course of the leadership development program for the second class. The course, titled Communications and Leadership, was designed to help participants understand political messaging and how to communicate effectively with policymakers and the press.
The program began on Monday with a welcome lunch followed by back-to-back meetings with the communications directors for the House Agriculture Committee. The group first met with Allie Herring, Communications Director for the Majority staff, and then with Britton Burdick, Communications Director for the Committee Democrats. Following these briefings, the group met with Legislative Correspondents Cade Conrad (Rep. Ronny Jackson) and Sabrina Wilhelm and Katelyn Wall (Sen. Marsha Blackburn) to discuss how congressional offices manage constituent correspondence. To conclude the day, the class traveled to George Washington’s Mount Vernon for a tour of the mansion followed by a private dinner.
On Tuesday morning, the leadership class held a private breakfast with Congressman Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) at the AACI offices. Afterward, the group traveled to USDA for a meeting with USDA Press Secretary Jacqueline Thomas and Justin Fritscher. This meeting provided the group with a unique perspective on how the Department coordinates messaging and responds to press inquiries. The leadership program concluded as the group returned to the AACI offices to join the full fly-in for the welcome luncheon.
Overall AACI believes that the fly-in was a huge success, and we think our association members did a great job building the AACI footprint on Capitol Hill. AACI will host other opportunities to visit DC in the coming years, so if you have any interest in attending a future event, please reach out to Kerri Marbut.