Ag must be at the table

One of the great frustrations with the federal government is that it’s so obviously out of touch with rural America. I’m talking about both GOP and Democrat administrations here.  It’s nuts that critical, universal legislation is often crafted with nary a nod to food production and delivery in this country.  I’ve never understood how an industry as fundamental to each and every citizen’s quality of life — heck, their survival — is somehow overlooked when Congress crafts legislation like climate change and health care reform.

Each time one of these massive policy initiatives is conjured, agriculture must bang on the door to have a place at the table, and more often than not, no one answers the door. This leaves us to play spoiler, meaning we have to use whatever means is available to us to make ourselves heard.

A good example is the climate change/cap-and-trade bill, a piece of legislation so complex as to make your head hurt. This is the classic story of how ag had to beg, cajole and finally threaten to ensure we weren’t thrown under the bus as our wise colleagues from the urban centers cobbled together what’s “good for America,” all the while parroting White House commitments to a “healthy and vibrant rural America.”   Both the House-passed bill and the pending Senate draft include coverage of so-called “major industries,” i.e. heavy manufacturing, utilities, transportation and the like. But when introduced in the House, the bill was silent on how food production would be treated. In the Senate, we now have “placeholder” language — in the second draft — on how farmers, ranchers and rural communities will fare under a the greenhouse gas control act.

Had not Rep. Collin Peterson (D, MN), chair of the House Agriculture Committee, threatened to blow the House bill to smithereens — and had the votes to do it — I’m guessing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) and House Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D, CA) would likely not have worried about agriculture. This is bizarre on its face considering agriculture is California’s number one “major industry.” Peterson had to threaten to bring the Pelosi-promised House climate bill down in order to be taken seriously.  That’s just wrong on so many levels.  And even with that, Peterson was only able to ensure that ag would be part of the carbon credit/allowance formula and USDA would take the lead on the oversight of any program that may emerge.

Likewise in the Senate, Agriculture Committee Chair Blanche Lincoln (D, AR) is only now able to strongly work her will on a draft bill thrown together by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D, CA) — I’m starting to sense an attention deficit disorder among these Californians — who’s chair of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee.  Boxer’s original draft floated a couple of weeks ago said nothing about food and agriculture. Her latest draft, the subject of three days of monster hearings this week, contains “placeholder” language on ag, and I’m guessing that’s because Lincoln has been so publicly critical of the House bill,  issued so many warnings about the Senate process and has vowed to use her committee’s oversight of the climate package to make things right.

Of the six committee chairs who must bless the climate change bill, only Lincoln said her panel will go beyond hearings and actually mark up the legislation. Ag committee member Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D, MI) is crafting legislative language the full ag committee will consider that will attempt to ensure ag is treated fairly and that the cost of saving the planet does not fall disproportionately on rural communities, farmers and ranchers.

Seizing on this clear thinking, ag and food groups across DC now provide Lincoln, Stabenow and a growing number of like-thinking GOP and Democrat members the statistics, the economic impact anaylses and other data to ensure ag and food is kept whole throughout this process. Not so easy getting to Boxer, Pelosi or Waxman.

But this process shouldn’t be this painful and it could have been more efficient had the aggies been invited to the party up front. No matter, I guess, because we in agriculture have no problem crashing the party.

My advice to my friends on Capitol Hill is this:  Next time you’re going to rewrite major federal laws that affect every citizen’s life, pick up the phone and call Peterson and Lincoln and talk food. It will save you a lot of time and potential public embarrassment.