GOP senators say farmers will lose on climate bill

The Agriculture Department says climate legislation would help farmers more than hurt them, but skeptics like the American Farm Bureau Federation disagree, arguing that the bill would increase the cost of fuel, fertilizer and pesticides, Charles Abbott reports for Reuters.

At the forefront of the debate are Republican Sens. Mike Johanns of Nebraska and Pat Roberts of Kansas, who are questioning how much farmland would be transformed into forestry if a carbon offset market is created. Johanns, a former agriculture secretary, says those farmers who choose to maintain their current crops will face higher energy costs under the bill with no compensation. "Unless you can quantify this, you can't sell the plan," he said. (Read more)