Farm policy in play as congressional midterm shakeup looms

The midterm elections are still 160 days away, but it’s already clear big changes are ahead in Congress. Led by Republicans, dozens of House and Senate lawmakers are leaving Capitol Hill, including some farm policy leaders. Of the House Agriculture Committee’s 53 members, at least six Republicans and one Democrat are either retiring or running for another office.

At least another four GOP members and one Democrat face highly competitive races. The seat being vacated by retiring Nebraska GOP Rep. Don Bacon, who represents part of Omaha, is widely expected to flip to a Democrat. In the Senate, out of four members running for governor of their respective states, three sit on the Agriculture Committee, including top Democrat Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Lawmakers on the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations panels also face tough re-election battles, including Sen. Jon Husted. The Ohio Republican is up against Sherrod Brown, a former Democratic senator and Ag Committee member who lost his re-election bid two years ago after 18 years in the Senate.