Meat+Poultry - December 2020 - 12

WA S H I N G T O N

New ag leadership
The House Committee on Agriculture
will have new leadership in the 117th
Congress that convenes in January
2021 as the current chairman of the
committee, Representative Collin
Peterson of Minnesota, lost his
bid for a 16th term in the House of
Representatives, and K. Michael
Conaway of Texas chose not to stand
for reelection and will retire at the end
of this year.
Peterson played a pivotal role in
crafting the last three farm bills serving
either as chairman or ranking member
on the agriculture committee. Conaway
was committee chairman before the
Democrats recaptured the House in
2018. Two Democrats, Jim Costa of
California and David Scott of Georgia,
both having won their election contests,
have indicated interest in the top job.
Twenty-six Democrats currently
are members of the agriculture
committee, and each sought reelection
in 2020. Twenty-two members were
reelected or were ahead of their
Republican opponents as of this
writing, and four, including Peterson,
were defeated or were behind their
Republican opponents.
Reelected were Scott, Costa, Marcia
Fudge of Ohio, Jim McGovern of
Massachusetts, Filemon Vela of Texas,
Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin

Islands, Alma Adams of North Carolina,
Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, Jahana
Hayes of Connecticut, Antonio
Delgado of New York,  Angie Craig of
Minnesota, Josh Harder of California,
Kim Schrier of Washington, Chellie
Pingree of Maine, Cheri Bustos of
Illinois, Sean Patrick Maloney of New
York, Salud Carbajal of California, Al
Lawson of Florida, Tom O'Halleran of
Arizona, Jimmy Panetta of California,
Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona and Cindy
Axne of Iowa.
On the Republican side of the aisle,
three current committee members
announced they would retire at the
end of this year and did not stand for
reelection. These included Conaway,
Ted Yoho of Florida and Ralph
Abraham of Louisiana.
Committee member Representative
Roger Marshall of Kansas won his
election bid for the US Senate.
With those exceptions, all current
Republican committee members
sought and secured reelection.

SENATE CHAIR
The Senate Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition and Forestry will also
have a new chairperson when the
117th Congress convenes in January
whether the Senate is controlled by the
Republicans or the Democrats (there
will be two run-off elections in Georgia
in January that may decide which party
will control the Senate).

Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas,
the current chairman of the Senate
agriculture committee, earlier
announced he would retire at the end
of this year; his Senate seat was won
by Marshall.
Republicans hold 11 seats in
the current agriculture committee.
Four Republican members sought
reelection in 2020. The remainder
were not up for reelection this cycle.
Winning reelection to the Senate
were Mitch McConnel of Kentucky,
Joni Ernst of Iowa and Cindy Hyde
Smith of Mississippi. Kelly Loeffler of
Georgia will be a candidate in one of
the two runoff elections in her state
in January.
Republican members of the
committee who did not have to stand
for reelection in 2020 included John
Boozman of Arkansas, John Hoeven of
North Dakota, Mike Braun of Indiana,
Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Thune
of South Dakota and Deb Fischer
of Nebraska.
Two of nine Democratic committee
members sought and won reelection,
including Tina Smith of Minnesota and
Richard Durbin of Illinois.
Seven Democrats on the committee
were midterm and did not have to
stand for reelection in this cycle.
Committee assignments won't be
made until after the 117th Congress
convenes in January.
JAY S J E RV E N | m e a t p o u l t r y @s o s l a n d.c o m

12

MEAT+ POULTRY | 12.20 | www.meatpoultry.com

Gary Blakeley/Shutterstock.com

Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, the current
chairman of the Senate agriculture
committee, earlier announced he would
retire at the end of this year.
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