"The politics of agriculture in Washington have been substantially reshuffled," writes Dan Morgan, Transatlantic Fellow for the German Marshall Fund of the United States and former agriculture reporter for The Washington Post, in a GMF paper to which Keith Good of FarmPolicy.com made major contributions.
"Proposed climate change legislation has confronted the farm bloc with issues that received scant attention in the farm bill itself," the paper's summary says. "At the same time, the congressional energy committees and the Environmental Protection Agency -- not the traditional guardians of agriculture -- have taken the lead in shaping climate and biofuels policies that could have long-term impacts on farmers. At the White House, President Obama has proposed cutting some key subsidies, and he has signaled interest in aligning himself -- at least symbolically -- with a grass roots movement that supports "sustainable agriculture" and "healthy foods." These developments have moved long-standing tensions over agriculture policy to center stage."
The paper contrasts the "Old Ag" farm lobbies and their allied "Agricrats" of the rural wing of the Democratic Party, who "appear even stronger and more confident than they
did a year ago," with "New Ag" forces that include Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. It speculates about a "new politics of agriculture" that could be created by passage of climate-change legislation, international trends and growing awareness of consumers about the sources of their food. The 58-page paper is strong on details and policy, but is also a good read. To download a PDF, click here.
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