BYCATHARINERICHERT FORMOSTof thepastseven decades,U.S.farmpolicyhas been the product ofhomespun negotiationsamongmembers of thetwocongressionalAgriculture committeesand asmallcontingentof lobbyistsforbigcommoditiessuchas corn, wheat, cotton,soybeansandrice. Every five or six years, the groups engaged in a give-and-take, making tough trade-offs and developing trust as they divvied up billions ofdollars in government price supports,marketingloans,deficiency payments,producercreditsandother complicatedbenefitsfewoutsidethe room understood. "Wecalledit theold iron triangle,"saidCharlesW. Stenholm, a TexasDemocrat and cotton farmer who served ontheHouseAgriculture Committeeforthequarter-centuryhewasinCongress. "We'dalljustsitdownand work something out." Changehascomeslowly. of thesubsidiesandprotectionsthat will behanded out this time around. In fact,the biggest meeting room on Capitol Hill might not hold all the inter-ests involved. "The farm bill is wide open," said Bob Ehart, who coordinates animal and plant health initiativesforthe National Asso-ciation of State Departments ofAgricul-ture. "The time is ripe for a lot more peo-ple to have a hand in it and to really shake things up." Whathasdrawnalltheseinterests? Farming hastransformed dramatically overtheyears.Amuchbroaderfood market,partlydrivenbyinternational competition, has combined with a wider COVERSTORY==p--the 2007 farm bill debate by introducing a bill that embodied their aims. The EAT Healthy America Act unites, for the first time,thetraditionally divided fruit and vegetable growers and asks Congress for someof thebillionsof scarcetaxpayer dollarsthat havetraditionallygoneto producers of the big row crops, plus cot-ton and dairy farmers and in more recent times to conservation. "Wewantabillthat looksat allof agriculture, not one that just focuses on the commodities," said Robert Guenther, spokesman for the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance. The early pitch from specialty growers represents the clearly changing dynamic infarmpolicy. Andif these diversepartiesgetevenpart of whattheywant,they will establishthemselvesasseri-ousplayerswhomayulti-matelyredefineAmerican farm policy. Just as important, theirpresenceinthisyear's debateshowsthattheonce rock-solidfarmlobbyisvul-nerable. AGLOBALVIEW Conservationandenviron-mental groups began taking an activeinterest in agricul-ture policy in the mid-1980s and werein thethick of the negotiationsthelasttime Congresspassed afarmbill, SPECIALTYINTERESTS:Fruit and vegetable growers lined up supporters last year for their plan to get a piece of the farmbill. Pressureforchangesin farm programs has mounted since the last bill was written. in 2002. Arguingthatcornwasn't just food anymore,theywonfinancialincentives fortheethanoland biofuelindustries. They alsoestablished programstopro-motesoil,waterandwildlifehabitat improvements on farmland. That wasjust theappetizer,though. Later this year, lawmakerswill sit down andwritethenextinstallmentof this sweepingmeasurethat willreauthorize agriculture programs ranging from crop subsidies to conservation incentives and costtaxpayersbillionsof dollarsa year over the next fiveyears or so. Whentheydo,theold-linefarm lobbywillbejoinedbyfruitand veg-etable growers,winemakers, veterinary drug companiesand evenanti-hunger groups, who have all spent the past five years preparing their cases to snag some concept of food and fiber policy to raise the stakes and open thedoor toa new order. Stenholm,wholeftCongressafter 2004 and now lobbies for some fruit and vegetable growers, says he may be nostal-gic for the heyday of the old iron triangle, but it's time for a variety of voices in the debate. "They'redoing what I'vealwaystold them to do: Step up to the table and put yourtwobitsin,"Stenholmsaid."Will this make writing the farm bill more chal-lenging? Sure." Nowhereisthatmoreclearthanin the caseof anew coalition of specialty-food producers encompassing fruit, veg-etable and nut growers and winemakers. Last fall, they and their allies on Capitol Hill - many of whom also arenewcom-ers to agriculture policy - got a jump on Whenlawmakersbegandis-cussinganewfarmbillin2006,their deliberations were shaped by high prices for gasoline and natural gas, a widening budgetdeficitand internationaltrade disputes.Now isa perfecttimeforpar-ticipants with new ideas on how to solve these problems to gain clout, say lobby-istsand other farmindustry advocates. Although these newcomers appear to have divergent agendas, many are focus-ingon onething:theequityandeco-nomicpracticality of thousands of dol-larsinannualsubsidiesthatmany farmers get from the government. AsU.S.agriculturehasbecome increasingly entwined with global trade, internationalpartnershavecriticized these subsidiesforkeepingforeignpro-ducers - particularly those in developing countries- fromsellingtheircropsin theUnitedStates.Globaltradetalks www.cq.comI JANUARY8.2007I CQWEEKLY115 I stalledlastsummerasaresultof disputes between industrialized and poor nations over subsidies and tariffs. Paringsubsidieswouldappealtofree-tradersandanti-povertygroups,suchas IOxfam America, which contend that govern-ment benefits to U.S. farmers hurt agricultur-almarkets in Third World countries. Conser-vationists and alternative-fuel advocates would be happy to see money now spent on subsidies diverted to grants and contracts forresearch, Iprogramsthatareconsideredfairerunder internationaltradestandards.Andsubsidy cuts would make it easier for the new Democ-ratic Congress to adhere to its pledge to reduce Ithe budget deficit. AndwhilenobodyexpectsCongressto eliminatefarmsubsidies, Americanfarmers maybytheendof thisyearbefacedwith reducedpayments,newopportunitiesto I enrolltheirlandinconservationprograms and incentivesto grow biofuel crops.Atthe sametime,newfarminginterests,likethe fruit and vegetable growers, could stake their claim permanently to a significant chunk of moneyintheformof researchgrantsand mandatory government purchases. ASHRINKINGPIE Farmprogramspendingtopped$20bil-lionlastyearforthesecondyearinarow. Three-fourths of the money went to growers of the fivebigrow crops - corn, wheat, cotton, rice and soybeans - plus dairy producers. The amount spent annually on agriculture programs has varied overthe years asa result of attemptsbyCongresstoreduce subsidies. Moreover,changes inthe global marketplace and vagaries of weather also push subsidy pay-ments up and down, since most payments are closelytiedtohowmuchthemajorcom-modities bring in when they're sold. When Congress passed the first farm bill, in 1933, then known asthe Agricultural Adjust-ment Act, lawmakers weremostly concerned withavoidingsurplusesandkeepingcrop ---- _:--======--=-=--:-=====-1A Subsidy in Every Pot $30 TotalCrop I 3 2 . 3 bi ll ion 25 20 15 10 5 0 Ill I1 I 1978'85'90'95'00'05 I 2006-'01 figuresare estimates SOURCE:Agriculture Department 116CQ WEEKLYJANUARY8.2007www.cq.com Farm programspending, including that devoted to major commodities, conser-vation and export assistance, exceeded $20 bi llion in the last two fiscalyears andis forecast to fal l this year to about $16billion. Most goes to finance price- andincome-support payments for corn, wheat, cotton, soybean and rice farmers. CORN ~ 1 2 . 3 billion 1978'85'90'95'00'05 prices above a government-set target. In more recent times, the focus has also been on ensur-ing farmers a certain level of income. In addition to underwriting loans that often function to set a floor under crop prices, fed-eral farm policy allowsfarmersto qualifYfor direct payments, intended as income supports, thatkickinwhencroppricesdropbelowa government-set threshold.Beyondpayments to major commodity producers, the farm bill isalsoamain source of money forconserva-tion,rural development, grant and nutrition programsadministeredbytheAgriculture Department. In1996,encouragedbyadeclineinfarm spending, Congress decided to curtail the New Deal-era approach to price supports and move farmerstoward a more market-based system. That law,whichwasenthusiasticallynamed the Freedom toFarm Act, in the end actually resultedinanincreaseinspending.When worldcroppricesfellinthelate1990s,law-makers reverted to old form and passed sever-al multibillion-dollar emergency funding pack-agestokeepfarmersfromgoingout of business. By 2000, the cost of farmprograms had surged to $32.3 billion. And the farm bill enacted in 2002, entitled the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act, reinstatedthetraditionalstructureof price and income support payments. Farm industry advocates and lawmakers alike expect that the amount of money that will be available for agriculture through the next farm bill will berelatively static. Democratic promis-es offiscal restraint, plus the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will give little or no room foradditional spending.And if lawmakers get serious about paring the budget deficit, the farm bill pie might actually shrink. WHEAT $5.3billion v , . 1111111._,1111.111111 , 1978'85'90'95'00'05 COVERSJORY.. A tighter budget, coupled with proposals for new spending from specialty-crop groups and other new pleaders, is likely to pack a one-two punch against the major commodity growers. For example, if Congress decides to accept the proposal fromthe specialty-crop growers - a plan that would spend more than $1 billion a yearforresearchandmarketing grantsand wouldrequirethegovernmenttopurchase more fruits and vegetables for school lunches - it is likely to come at the expense of the sub-sidiesthat havebeen the bread and butter of the commodity-crop industry for decades. I The debate will be complicated by a commit-ment fromthe Bush administration to reduce subsidies as part ofglobal trade negotiations. In 2006, the White House proposed major cuts in U.S.subsidiesinexchangeforreducedtariffs abroad onU.S.food exports. European Union members and some developing countries reject-edtheBushplan,and thetalksfellapart asa result. But the administration and other coun-tries have said they want to continue pursuing the goal oflower agriculture subsidies. MOREETHANOL:JonDoggett, right, of the Corn Growers wants changes in farm law to hel p hi s members. Land conservationgroupsposetheir own threat to commodities producers. Tom Harkin, theIowa Democrat whoisnow chairman of theSenate AgricultureCommittee,haslong beenaproponent of conservationincentives and vowstoexpand those programs in 2007. On the other hand, spending on subsidies for major grain crops might shrink even with-out Congress intending it to. Prices are rising for some crops, particularly corn and soybeans, which are in high demand foruse in produc-tion of ethanol and other biofuels. And since subsidies fallwhen crop prices increase, Con-gress may fmd that even retaining existing pro-grams for another five years will cost less. Commodity-crop growers are hoping non-traditionalfarminterestswillpressureCon-gress just as much for a larger budget. "If thesenew guys want apieceof the pie, they needtorolluptheir sleevesand bakea piece of the pie," said Jon Doggett, vicepresi-dent of publicpolicyfortheNationalCorn Growers Association. "They need to be involved in these budget discussions, too. You can't just take money away from someone else." NON-TRADITIONALINTERESTS One of the more aggressive attacks on tra-ditionalfarmprogramsthisyeariscoming from American Farmland Trust, a 26-year-old organization that works to preserve farm and grazing lands and protect rural communities. The Farmland Trust has been active in con-servation effortsformore than a decade, but this year it is allied with the National Associa-tion of State Departments of Agriculture and other groups to promote public health issues - includinganexpansionof nutritionpro-grams - as part of the farm bill. A couple of yearsago, asstaff members at the Farmland Trust were laying out their plan for the next farm bill, they made a list of organ-izations that had a stake in the outcome and might support the trust's aims but just didn' t knowit yet.Someof themostsurprising groups on the list, said Jimmy Daukas, direc-tor of farm policy forthe trust, wereinvolved in health issues. "For the first time, people are approaching thisfromapublichealthpoint of view,"he COTTONSOYBEANSRICE $4.2billion v .... 11.111.1 .111 . 11111.111 1978'85'90'95'00'05 ---'r -1978'85'90 $3.4 billion v ..111 ..... '95'00'05 $1.8bi llion v --11111 ... 1978'85'90'95'00'05 www.cq.comJANUARY8.2007CQWEEKLY117 .. Crop of Proposals ToFill Out the Farm Bill AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION:This group, along withother publ ichealth-oriented advocates, is primarily interested inenhancing the school lunch, food stamp and other nutrition programs authorizedby the farmbill. New groups want to be part of this year's farm bill, and they are vying in some cases to supplant traditional commodity organizations and take away a piece of their sub-sidy pie.Inother cases, newcomers are attempting to broaden the debate to include subjects not previously covered by agriculture policy. Hill allies: These groups have a vastnetwork onthe Hill. Inaddition to Schumer andHarkin,RosaDelaura, D-Conn., the House Agriculture Appropri-ations Subcommittee chairman, has backed health andnutrition issues. The heart associationis also allied with the conservationists andruralpreserva-tionists, including the AmericanFarmland Trust. SPECIALTY CROP FARM BILL ALLIANCE: These fruit, nut, vegetable and wine producers are asking Congress for a multibillion-dollar package of conserva-tionimprovements and grants for states to spendonmarketing andresearch projects that servelo.calgrowers. TheproposedEATHealthy America Act would mandate increased federal government purchases of fruits and vegeta-bl es for school lunches. Hill allies: This group is aided by a wide, bipartisan net of supporters, including Reps. Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif., AdamH. Putnam, R-Fia., and John Salazar, D-Colo., whose di stricts boast major fruit and vegetable markets. They will probably attract conser-vationists, such as Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., and nutrition advocates, such as Senate Agriculture Chairman TomHarkin, D-lowa, and Sen. Charles E.Schumer, D-N:V. But Collin C.Peterson, D-Minn., House Agriculture Committee chairman, is not a fan of the group's block grant proposal. AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST: The trust andsimilar groups want more money for conservation,andin particular want changes in the Conservation Reserve Program,whichpays farmers to retire farmland. The groups say not enough environmentally sensitive land is enrolled in theprogram. Hillallies: Since the conservation title was added to the FarmBill in 1985, environmentalists andland conservationists haveplayed anincreasingly big-ger role. Theyhavelongtime supporters onCapitol Hill, including the commit-tee chairmeninboth chambers. This year will also harness help from those whofavor the specialty-crop grower plan. RENEWABLE FUELS ASSOCIATION:Alternative energy advocates say they want to boost research grants and government procurement mandates. There is some talk of adding an alternative fuels tax credit to the farmbill. THE'OLDIRONTRIANGLE' A handful of major commodity trade groups have for decades shaped farm bills. Membership in each group overlaps with the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union.Dairy and livestock producers also are members of these organizations and have had a significant stake in farm policy debates. THENATIONAL CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION: Corn farmers want to break new ground this year by pre-serving some direct payments to farmers and revamping some loan payments to tie them more cl osely to a farmer's yearly revenue. The group con-said. "They are completely new players." In particular, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association are two of the more prominent groups backing the Farm-land Trust'spushtoincreasespendingon nutrition and health, Daukas said. They want more healthful foods in schools, and they sup-port programs that bring fresh fruits and veg-etables to inner cities. Similarly, a new alliance is forming between livestock producers and food processors, both ofwhichworrythatcornethanolresearch grantsand governmentprocurementman-118CQWEEKLYI JANUARY8,2007I www.cq .com Hillallies: Like the conservationists, energy advocates havebeenweighing in tends that this approach would be more compliant with world trade rules, though critics, including Peter-son, say the plan is simply a way for corn growers "to protect how much they're already getting." Corn farm-ers also will support expanding ethanol production. Hill allies:Few lawmakers besides Peterson have commented on the corn growers' proposal. But the industry has a strong relationship with Midwestern lawmakers on both Agriculture committees, including Harkin and Grassley. They also expect help from new Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill, from the corn-growing state of Missouri, and Sherrod Brown, from Ohio, who says he wants to protect the livelihoods of dates in the 2002farm billhavecaused corn prices to skyrocket. They have said they'll join forces to keep provisions that favor the ethanol industry our of the next bill. AndanexistingallianceamongDucks Unlimitedandotherhuntingandfishing groups and environmental organizations such astheNatureConservancy is stepping upits efforttogetmorefarmlandenrolledin Agri-culture Department conservation programs. Mostnon-tradi tionalassociationsplan-ninglobbyingassaultsonthefarmbill bemoan that federal policy has been decided farmers and generally opposes free trade. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WHEAT GROWERS: Incen-tives in the last farm bill enticed some one-time wheat producers to the more lucrative corn-farming market. The shift has been compounded by severe whether in some wheat-producing states that ruined entire har-vests, leading to high U.S. prices and increased imports. As a result. wheat producers are asking Con-gress to revamp loan programs to take into account major crop losses and to reset prices used to trigger income-support payments that kick in when crop prices fall. for decadesby a fewnarrowly drawn interest groups.Agriculturepolicythatundergoes fundamentalchangeonly onceeveryfiveor six years has broad implications for the econ-omy and health as well, so building coalitions among newcomers isa big part of the strate-gy of the Farmland Trust and others to shift the debate. "By getting new players involved, you change the political dynamics," Daukas said. "It helps to reshape the political coalitions." Well-establishedorganizationslikethe AmericanHeartAssociationandDucks onthe farmbill for over a decade.In thepast five years, they've garnered the support of lawmakers whowant to tackle highenergy prices,reduceAmerica's reliance on foreignoil , andopennew markets to farmers.Cornand cellulosic ethanol producers have foundpowerful friends in Harkin andPeterson, aswell asHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who says advancing alternative ener-gyisa top priority for the Democratic Congress. drive longer hours so produce will make it to destinations without spoiling. HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES:For this animal -rights group, the farmbill will be a vehicle to cleanup someunfinished business from the 109th OXFAM AMERICA: This anti-hunger organization is hoping that Congress will restructure farm subsidies that are regarded as distorting to international trade, particularly those that critics say encourage overproduction of U.S. crops. They argue that surplus crops are "dumped" in developing countries, impeding growth of new agricultural markets anddepressing world prices. Congress. Among a slew of priorities, the Humane Society wants to amend an Agriculture rule onhumane livestock slaughter to include poultry and toreg-ulate Internet puppy pur-veyors under the Animal Welfare Act. The group also isproposing to add anani -mal welfare title to the farmbill , whichmany say Hill allies: Oxfam America has supported a campaign ledbySens.Charles E. Grassley,R-lowa,andByron L.Dorgan, D-N.D., to cap direct payments to farm-ers inaneffort to weanthem off subsidies. In the House,Oxfamis counting on Reps.EarlBlumenauer, D-Ore.,Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J.,andDonald M. Payne, D-N.J.would alter the intent of the law significantly. AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION: U.S. truckers want to use the farmbill to create a trust fund forruralroadmaintenance and tax credits to finance secu-Hill allies: hi2007, The Humane Society will rely onthe same cast of characters that supported its initiatives last year.In the House, that includes Blumenauer, Roscoe G.Bartlett, R-Md., Elton Gallegly, R-Calif.,Edward Whitfield, R-Ky. , and John M.Spratt Jr.,D-S.C. In the Senate, Richard J.Durbin, D-111.,BarbaraBoxer, D-Calif., John Ensign, R-Nev.,andPatrick J.Leahy,D-Vt. , will probably be among the Humane Society's supporters. rity upgrades for trucks and trucking facilities. Hill allies: This group is still look-ing for supporters onthe Agricul-ture committees, but it's hoping Rep.Jerry Moran,R-Kan. , and Cardoza will back the associa-tion's proposal.Those lawmakers wonanexemption inlast year's highway reauthorization bill that allows trucks carrying crops to Hill allies: Wheat growers will benefit from long-standing relationships with Midwestern and Great Plains lawmakers, including Roberts. THE NATIONAL COTTON COUNCIL OF AMERICA: A world trade panel decided in 2005 that a component of the U.S. cotton program, which paid millers and exporters to buymore expensive U.S. cotton, violated trade rules. Growers expect changes to their subsidy program to respond to the ruling, but they're hoping Congress goes no further. Mostly they want to preserve the status quo. Hill allies: Cotton producers have widespread sup-port from Southern lawmakers, particularly Chambliss Unlimited, withwhichland conservationists have aligned during previous farm bill negoti-ations, have clout on Capitol Hill. Their "polit-icalmuscle" will broaden the number of law-makers who want a more progressive measure, Daukas said. Newplayersarebankingonhelpfrom unlikelyalliancesinCongress,too.Whenit comes to cellulosic ethanol, a fuel made from grassesand treesthat canbe grownin most parts of the United States, the alternative-fuels industry has recendy found support in unusu-al places, said Samantha Slater, director of con-VACCINE MAKERS: Several drug companies that make vaccines tokeep poultry free of avian fluand diagnostic tools to test livestock for animal diseases are hoping the government will agree to buy a stockpile of thosematerials. Hill allies:Sens.Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.,andPatRoberts, R-Kan. , have said they may back sucha plan this year. Meanwhile, vaccine makers say they see a potential ally in Harkin, wholed a crusadein the 109th Congress toprepare the United States against anavian fluoutbreak. and Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Chambliss has said he does not believe additional changes are needed in the cotton program and that the growers in his state can expect that it will remain relatively unchanged. THE AMERICAN SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION: Like the corn growers, soy producers are eager to expand biofuel production, but oppose shifting money away from crop subsidies to pay for it. Hill allies: Like corn, soy is grown in much of the Mid-west. but the crop is also grown in some Southern states, such as North Carolina and Mississippi. Soy growers can expect help from Southern lawmakers as gressional and regulatory affairs at the Renew-able Fuels Association. "Youdon't justseeMidwestmemberson board anymore," she said. ''Now we've got inter-est from California, from Georgia, from North Carolina and Washington state. John Deere has evenstartedmakingmachinesoverthepast couple of years to processthe feedstock.We're bringing a wide community into the mix." Congressionalredistrictingand acontin-ued population shift into urban and suburban communitiesare also increasingthe clout of non-traditional farming groups. well as Harkin and Peterson, whose home states plant thousands of acres of soybeans. THE USA RICE FEDERATION AND USA RICE PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION: Rice growers also want to maintain the status quo. They say their safety net of direct payments and loans is necessary to keep rice producers in busi -ness, especially after prices fell last September. Hill allies:Because rice is primarily a Southern crop, growers can look for support from Southern lawmak-ers onboth committees, including Cochran in the Sen-ate and K.Michael Conaway, R-Texas, in the House. - CATHARINERICHERT The number ofrural House districts began to decline in the 1960s. And by 2005, only 61 ofthe 435 seats - 14 percent - met the definition of rural, down from 42 percent four decades ago. Typically, urban and suburban voters care more about conservationandnutritionand show less interest in ordinary farm policy, said Brent Garris,afarmlobbyistwiththeWashington law firm of Olsson, Frank and Weeda "Traditionally,the hardest job on selling a farm bill to urban members is convincing them t hatt hebillsupportstheirconstituents throughnutritionprogramsandproviding www.cq.co mI JANUARY8.2007CQWEEKLY119 the most affordable food sup-ply in the world," said Gattis, who was a longtime Republi-1can aideon the House Agri-culture Committee. 'CIRCLINGTHEWAGONS' Membersof theoldiron triangleagreethatthepres-enceof groupslikeOxfam America,theHeart. Associa-tion and the Humane Society of the United States, which is workingwithother animal rights groups to improve con-ditions for livestock, will pose new challenges in 2007. The farm lobby hasnever faced this degree of competi-tion before. Bureaumembers."It causes ustocometogethereven more,"shesaid."We'recir-cling the wagons." RESHAPINGFARMPOLICY Mostparticipantsinthe deliberations this year say they expectthenewplayersto achieve some oftheir objectives, most likely in the conservation, energy and nutrition sections that received spending increas-es in each of the last two farm bills. That, in turn, will ensure that they play amorepromi-nent rolethenexttimefarm policy isrewritten, in 2012. "Historically, wehavenot hadtofightactivistgroups from their ivory towers about definingwhattheythink WEIGHINGCORNANDCONSERVATION:Senate Agriculture ChairmanHarkinis a big supporter of hishome state's growers, buthealsowantstoincrease land conservation. Likemanyintheold-schoolfarmlobby,Maslyn attributes the clout of the new entrantstoevolution,rather thananabrupt changein rurallifeshould beabout,"Gattissaid.The farm lobby's biggest challenge will be to limit the infighting and work cooperatively to make sure farm policy remains relatively unchanged. Mark Maslyn, executive director ofpublic pol-icy forthe American Farm Bureau Federation, downplaystheconcernand sayscom,wheat, cotton, riceand soy farmersand livestock pro-ducers have a history of turning out a powerful grass-roots effort when they need to. More than ever, the Farm Bureau relied on its membership, ,which extends beyond farmers to tracror makers, feedlot operators and food processors, to make its case during the 2007 negotiations. "We'llbeworking hard tokeepour mem-bershipinformedand activeonthisissue," Maslynsaid.''Agriculturalproducershaveto realizethat if theywantacertainoutcome, they have to engage their lawmakers." The new players don'thave as well-established a grass-roots network, he said. Nevertheless,somegroupsnewtothe debate,suchasOxfam America,aretaking their cues from the traditional farm lobby. Last year, the anti-poverty group not only increased its staff in Washington but also installed field organizers in rural communities. The idea is to rally farmers who have gotten little out of pre-vious farm bills to press their lawmakers for a changethisyear,saidGawainKripke,senior policy adviser for Oxfam America. Another challenge identified by the big com-modity growers iskeeping the farm bill within the jurisdiction of the Agriculture committees. 120CQWEEKLYI JANUARY8,2007I www.cq.com House Energy and Commerce Chairman John D. Dingell, D-Mich., will probably want to review any farm bill provisions aimed at increasing alter-native-fuel production. And a proposal from the American Trucking Association to fmance truck and facilitiessecurity upgrades and establish a trust fund forrural road maintenance may be handed over to other panels. "Wedon' twantthebillreferredtoother committees," said Mary Kay Thatcher, director of public policy withthe Farm Bureau.Such referralsmightopenthedoortoadditional provisions,delaysand difficultiesinmoving the already massive measure, she said. Despite new pressures on the farm bill, most participants areskeptical that farm subsidies will be cut entirely. The traditional farm lobby stillhasmany friendson Capitol Hill.Many point tothehistory and alliances of the two men who will be in charge ofwriting the bill in the Senate and House. HarkinhailsfromIowa,wherecornand soybeans rule. While he has pledged to expand conservation and ethanol programs, it would bepoliticalsuicideforhimtodosoatthe expense of his state's commodities growers. Minnesota Democrat Collin C. Peterson, the new House Agriculture chairman, has a similar constituency.While hetalks about improving the energy, nutrition and conservation titles of the bill, he has said his primary goal isto keep the ''best parts" of the 2002 measure. Regardless, Thatcher says competition from non-traditionalgroupsisgoodforFarm farmpolitics."Peoplealways say the next farm bill will be greener than the lastone,forexample,"hesaid."It' salways evolving." But the new players say some of the initiatives they are pushing, such as the Humane Society's goal to create a new title in the law dedicated to animal welfare, would be bold departures from current policy. Big victories by the new players in this year's farm bill and the next one, expected in 2013, threaten to derail the influence the tradi-tional farm lobby has long held in Washington, say lobbyists and industry members. Thenewplayersalsosaytheywantmore than to just beinvolved in negotiations.Ulti-mately,theirobjectiveistopermanently reshape the debate about the nation's agricul-ture policies. Farming isn't just about acres of corn and soybeans anymore, they say. It's about humanhealth,environmentalstewardship, land preservation, animal welfare, international tradeand energy conservation. Thetransfor-mation isalready happening, they say,and it will be hard for Congress to ignore it. "Achangeisgoingon,"Daukassaid. "Whether that sea change results in dramati-callydifferentpoliciesistheonlyquestion remainingforthe2007farmbill.Butthat change isoccurring and will occur, and if not in the 2007 farm bill, then in the next one." FORFURTHERREADING:Fightovercorn e t h n o ~ 2006 CQ Weekly, p. 2166; 2002 formlaw (PL 107-171 ), 2002 Almanac, p.4-3;1996 form law (PL 104-127),1996 Almanac, p. 3-15.