What will the Midterm elections mean for agriculture?
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
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By Mykel Bickham, director of government affairs  On Nov. 8, Americans will head to the polls for the midterm elections. Voters will decide who controls local, state and federal offices. At World Dairy Expo, Michael Torrey, a seasoned political affairs expert that Edge works with regularly, gave a presentation on how these elections could shape the future. I will summarize some of his observations of the current landscape. Currently, the Democrats control the House, Senate and Presidency. As a reminder: Senate: 100 senators are elected for six-year terms, meaning one-third of the Senate is up for election every two years — including this year. There is currently a 50/50 split in the Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as a tie-breaker to tip the balance in the Democrats’ favor ever so slightly. House: There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and they all must be re-elected every two years. There is only a five-vote margin for Democrats right now. If only a few seats switch hands, it will completely shift the power in Washington. The predictive polls change daily, depending on the news story of the day. But most folks believe the Republicans will take back the House with a slim majority, and control of the Senate after the elections is still too close to call. Voters on both sides of the aisle are motivated for different reasons. The economy and the Supreme Court’s abortion decision are two key driving factors. The Biden administration has key bipartisan wins under its belt, including the infrastructure package and the CHIPS Act, a bill investing into domestic semiconductor manufacturing. But it has also made some partisan moves like the Inflation Reduction Act and student loan debt forgiveness. All of these considerations will play into the final outcome in November. How will this ultimately affect dairy and agriculture policy? The people that hold these seats will make a big difference with the farm bill less than one year away from expiration. Farm policy is complex, and often requires knowledge of the past to understand – not to mention knowledge of agriculture. Even before the 2022 elections take place, there are already 150+ new members of the House who have never gone through the farm bill process, and 27 senators who haven’t either. This lack of knowledge about the process may prove challenging, especially with more turnover expected. New blood isn’t bad. It’s often necessary to bring in new ideas. Unfortunately, the new folks that are coming into Congress are tending to be farther and farther removed from agriculture. It’s tough to write a bill to help an industry that you don’t understand. At the same time, urban and suburban lawmakers are joining the Agriculture Committees to participate in food policy in the hunger and nutrition space, creating less emphasis on the farm issues and more emphasis on the SNAP portion of the farm bill. These are the realities of the world today, as fewer and fewer people produce our nation’s food. It presents challenges but also opportunities. It is more crucial than ever for lawmakers to meet farmers and learn how the industry works. Edge’s engaged membership does a great job of educating folks. If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to me. More voices are needed to ensure the future of the dairy industry is secure.
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