The announcement of the appointment of Senator Blanche Lincoln to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee has garnered praise and deep exhales from agriculture groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, who called her a “long-time friend of Farm Bureau.” Indeed the senator has a long history of championing the cause of the farming industry. And she’s taking on climate change regulation.

Lincoln addressed the issue and alluded to her allegiance by saying that the climate change bill is “a heavy lift” for Congress, and restating her support of crop subsidies. In one of her more understated moments, the new head of the Committee said that climate change legislation “presents some issues for the farm community.”

Citing higher prices for pesticides, fertilizer and fuels, Lincoln said farmers would take a huge hit should Congress vote to control greenhouse emissions in farming communities. And her opposition to any changes in the federal rules on crop subsidies is firmly on record.

With the Obama Administration firmly in favor of climate change legislation, the push-and-pull begins as Lincoln will attempt to convince the President to consider the financial effects of climate change legislation on the agriculture industry.

Will the federal crop insurance program respond to any climate change legislation? It’s anyone’s guess at this point. But in an era where budget deficits are under heavy scrutiny, convincing the feds to subsidize any climate change legislation could be a very tough sell.

Photo credit: http://lincoln.senate.gov

Filed under: Agribusiness by afis blogger