Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/22217
FRom THE ASA The Elections and No-Cost Sugar Policy The first Tuesday of November brought with it a changing of the guard in agricultural politics. More than 60 new GOP faces will populate Capitol Hill next year, the current Senate Agriculture Chairman will be out of office, the House Agriculture Commit- tee’s leadership will swap places, and the ranks of the traditionally pro-agriculture Blue Dog Democrats shrank by about 30 members. So how will sugar farmers fare following the fallout? Pretty well, according to American Sugar Alliance Chairman Jack Pettus. Dur- ing an intensive day of media interviews with farm broadcasters on November 11, Pettus found himself answering that same question nearly a dozen times. “There’s a new crop of legislators headed to Washington and they’ll bring with them a new agenda. We believe this agenda, which is dominated by fiscal re- sponsibility and national security, fits well with sugar,” he explained to reporters. “It’s hard to be more fiscally responsible than costing taxpayers zero dollars. And being able to grow an ingredient as important as sugar here at home is essential to Ameri- ca’s ability to feed itself.” That’s not to say there won’t be chal- lenges. Pettus acknowledged that getting so many new lawmakers up to speed on the nuances of farm policy will be daunting. “Education must be a top priority,” he explained. “That’s why sugar is such a strong supporter of Farm Policy Facts and The Hand That Feeds U.S., two coalitions designed to tell agriculture’s positive story to Capitol Hill and urban reporters.” As part of this educational effort, he believes one fact will be hard for the incoming freshman class to ignore: Almost everyone has reason to be happy with sugar policy. According to Pettus: “Growers are happy because prices are fair and the cur- rent crop has been beating early harvest estimates. These stable supplies are more good news for food manufacturers, who have been enjoying strong sales and profits despite the recession. And taxpayers can continue to smile because sugar policy is operating at no cost to them, just as Congress designed. Since everyone has something to be happy about, it seems like a slam-dunk for Congress to extend this policy in the next Farm Bill.” n 30 Sugar Producer JANUARY 2011