Chapter 4: Food Agricultural Policy Interest Groups

1. Chapter 4: Food & Agricultural Policy Interest Groups

2. Interest Groups Interest Groups: include any organization, association, of firm seeking in some way to influence agriculture, resource, food and rural development policy decision of the Congress or Executive Branch Lobbyists: employed by interest groups to represent them in the political process and advise them on political strategy Organize to affect election results Influence position of candidates Influence appointments of key positions

3. Influencing Effectiveness PRIORITY OF THE PROBLEM CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES # FIRMS REPRESENTED INFLUENCE OF INDIVS. OR FIRMS SUPPORTING ANALYSIS STRATEGIES EMPLOYED

4. Political Action Committees Political Action Committees: (PAC�s) facilitate the consolidation of political contributions around particular organizations, causes, and issues. Funds obtained through ad hoc contributions, donations from agribusinesses, or from producers in an amount for each unit of product marketed

5. Increasing Support Aside from PAC�s, interest groups need a broad base of support This is done through networking which includes compromise, horse trading, forming a coalition, and logrolling Compromise: necessity! Ex: may initially support a 30% increase in price supports when actually hoping to get 20%

6. Increasing Support Horse Trading: exchange of support among interests to increase support base Coalition: alliances of groups or faction formed to attain a particular political end Usually temporary to get a piece of legis. passed Logrolling: sequentially building Congressional support for legis. to the point it cannot be resisted. Usually involved political favors

7. Ag. Interest Groups PRODUCER LOBBY General Farm Organizations Commodity Organizations Cooperatives AGRIBUSINESS LOBBY General Agribusiness Organizations Commodity Agribusiness Organizations PUBLIC INTEREST LOBBY Consumer Food Lobby Nutrition, Food Safety, and Quality Lobby Hunger Lobby Resource and Environment Lobby

8. PRODUCER LOBBY Strength in numbers, importance of ag. in that state, level of political activism of farmers and farm organizations Influence concentrated in Corn Belt, Great Plains, NW, and W

9. General Farm Organizations General Farm Organizations: producer memberships cuts across commodities Ex: American Farm Bureau Federation Largest Voice of conservatism in ag. Parity prices, production controls, preservation of family farms Ex: National Farmers Union Liberal Labor union rights, expand food stamps and child nutrition programs, increase foreign aid Oppose NAFTA and WTO

10. Commodity Organizations Commodity Organizations: represent producers of specific ag. Products Production is specialized, producers id. with commodity organ. Speak with a clearer voice Check-off funds Ex: National Cattlemen�s Beef Assoc. (NCBA) Lobbyist for cattle raisers and feeder and other agribusiness segments Ex: National Cotton Council (NCC) Represents interest of entire cotton industry (producers, shippers, merchants, exporters, and textile mills)

11. Cooperatives Cooperatives: Devoted to helping farmers improve prices paid for inputs and the prices received for outputs Ex: National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) Lobbying organ. with membership from regional coops

12. AGRIBUSINESS LOBBY Generally favor gov. programs designed to expand farm production

13. General Agribusiness Organizations General Agribusiness Organizations: represent both input supply and marketing firms Ex: Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) Represents most major processors and manufacturers of consumer food products in the U.S. Concerns over reducing regulation of nutrition, food safety and quality, advertising, packaging and labeling, antitrust, imports and retail business practices.

14. Commodity Agribusiness Organizations Commodity Agribusiness Organizations: focus on individual input or commodity Ex: Tobacco Institute efforts directed toward defending evidence linking smoking to health problems

15. PUBLIC INTEREST LOBBY Public Interest: beneficial to society as a whole as opposed to a particular segment Why does public interest differs from farmer/agribusiness interest? Food is a necessity of life Food costs money (who should pay?) Food yields externalities Food can be unsafe Represent taxpayers

16. Consumer Food Lobby Ex: Community Nutrition Institute (CNI) Ensure all people a safe, nutritious, adequate, and affordable diet

17. Nutrition, Food Safety, and Quality Lobby Concerned with the impact of diet on health Issues: est. of nutrition guidelines, nutritional labeling, liking cholesterol to heart disease, use of growth stimulants in cattle, approval of bovine somatotropin (rBST), and genetic engineering of Round-Up Ready Soybeans

18. Hunger Lobby Concerned with issues related to hunger, malnutrition, and the adequacy of the world food supply Prior to the 60�s hunger was a church issue, not so much a gov. issue

19. Resource & Environment Lobby Well-organized with Strong Financial Support Ex: Environmental Working Group (EWG) Coalition for specific issues to come together and develop positions on them Ex: Sierra Club Protect and conserve natural resources Wilderness preservation Air and water pollution Energy conservation Endangered species

20. Future of Interest Groups Very effective in the past! Look for compromise Work within the system Base policy position on facts Avoid identification with either political party (to succeed you need support from both parties)