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www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — NOVEMBER 13/NOVEMBER 20, 2020
November winds are blowing big change
One of the perennial certainties of any the necessary staff to pursue them. election season is how pundits chew over The race to chair the Ag Committee is the politics of losing campaigns rather already underway for House Dems. The than discuss the policy implications of three frontrunners (Georgian David winning campaigns. Scott, Californian Jim Costa, and Ohioan The biggest reason is the cleanliness of Marcia Fudge) each represent a direction who’s up and who’s down; as opposed to a farm and food policy might go if selected. messy dive into the greasy nuance of Scott and Fudge are stronger advocates what victory means to legislative sausage FARM & FOOD FILE for supplemental nutrition programs making. than traditional farm programs; Costa is By Alan Guebert the group’s Big Ag, status-quo favorite. That is especially so for U.S. farm policy after the muddled results of the Right now, Scott leads the race. He is recent general election. the committee’s most senior Dem, has committee support, and received For example, Democrats hold a weak Peterson’s blessing on Nov. 10. Fudge, an attorney majority in the House despite the stern whipping by training and former small city mayor by choice, they took Nov. 3. One of the most prominent Dem is a long shot — but is whispered to be a candidate losers was long-time Ag Committee Chairman for Biden’s secretary of agriculture. Collin Peterson. The 15-term incumbent was thrashed by 13 points in his rural, western That leaves Costa, a self-described “third generaMinnesota district by Michelle Fischbach, the state’s tion farmer.” While he is a bona fide farm boy, Costa former lieutenant governor. has spent most of his 40-year career in public office Similarly, the Repubs’ grip on the Senate is a slim — first in the California legislature, then in Congress. two votes. Its Ag Committee also needs a new boss since its current chairman, Pat Roberts of Kansas, Interestingly, none of the three have deep ties retires in early January. to today’s long-running federal farm programs like crop insurance, ethanol or sugar — all key constituThe Senate dynamic could change Jan. 5 when encies of the soon-to-depart Peterson. two races, both in Georgia, conclude with run-off elections. A win by one or both incumbents would add to the skinny Repub majority. Two Dem wins, however, hands the Senate to their party who then would control the House, Senate, and White House. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has mailed balYes, the White House; because voting results from lots for the Farm Service Agency county committee elections to eligible farmers and ranchers across the all 50 state election officials, both Republican and country. To be counted, ballots must be returned to Democratic, point to a White House victory by forthe local FSA county office or postmarked by Dec. 7. mer Vice President Joseph R. Biden. County committee members help FSA make imporAs such, and with or without the help of the tant decisions on its commodity support programs, Trump Administration, Congress and the Biden conservation programs, indemnity and disaster protransition team now face a two-month sprint in the middle of a trillion-dollar, lame duck session (which grams, and emergency programs and eligibility. Each committee has three to 11 elected members who includes passing a 2021 federal budget by Dec. 11) serve three-year terms of office, and at least one seat to outline their policy objectives and put into place
OPINION
In fact, when Big Ag groups realized Peterson was sinking in his reelection race, ag campaign money (almost always reserved for Republicans) poured in to help Dem Peterson fight off his Republican challenger. It was a poor investment. Peterson got smoked. Which should raise some uncomfortable questions in farm and ranch circles. Specifically, just how politically powerful is Big Ag today if it can’t pull a 30-year, rural incumbent congressman over the finish line in one of their costliest, organized, most important campaign efforts ever? The best explanation is the most likely one: Rural America isn’t politically red because of farmers and ranchers; it’s red despite farmers and ranchers. They don’t carry the vote; they tag along. If accurate, then Big Ag badly needs to find a more urban champion — like David Scott or Marcia Fudge — because that old rural-urban farm bill coalition, like the rest of the country, just moved to the city. And, just as likely, it’s not coming back. The Farm and Food File is published weekly through the United States and Canada. Past columns, events and contact information are posted at www.farmandfoodfile.com. v
FSA Committee elections underway is up for election each year. Newly elected committee members will take office Jan. 1, 2021.. Producers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program to be eligible to vote in the county committee election. Also, producers who supervise and conduct the farming operations of an entire farm, but are not of legal voting age, may be eligible to vote. This article was submitted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. v
Transition to electric cars carries consequences By DICK HAGEN The Land Staff Writer Emeritus Yes, we all champion clean air, but at what price? A study was recently released by the Agricultural Retailers Association. The ARA is a member of the Transportation Fairness Alliance. Economic models for the study were provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s annual outlook. This study reveals how a ban on internal combustion engine vehicles could devastate the agriculture community. If proposals to ban internal combustion engines by 2035 were to happen, consider these consequences:
A decline up to 90 percent of ethanolenriched fuels which equates to 1.1 billion gallons. A 61 percent decline in biodiesel to 0.8 billion gallons. Corn consumption could decrease by up to 2 billion bushels. Soybean utilization could decrease by up to 470 million bushels. Corn prices could fall up to 50 percent to $1.74 per bushel. Soybean prices could fall up to 44 percent to $4.92 per bushel. Overall, U.S. net farm income would decrease by up to $27 billion.
OPINION
Any ban results in dramatic decreases in ethanol, biodiesel, corn and soybean prices; plus demand for fertilizer and other agricultural products. This could trigger estimated acreage reduction of 5 to 7 million acres of corn with a related impact on fertilizer is significant. In that scenario, nitrogen demand would be reduced 800,000 to 1 million tons of urea and Urea Ammonium Nitrate. This represents about 15 percent of the urea market and 7 percent of the UAN market in the U.S. Further, the study indicates economic losses throughout the biofuels value chain ranging from $105 billion to $185 billion. Cumulative federal, state and local tax revenue losses could be from $39 billion to $69 billion. v
