Nov. 16, 2011 - With the upcoming presidential election accelerating the focus on November 2012, one issue that will most likely be decided before either President Obama takes a second term or one of his Republican challengers takes the oath of office is the latest version of the "Farm Bill." The Farm Bill is a massive spending measure that covers a wide variety of agriculture issues from crop insurance to food stamps and is taken up by Congress every five years. The current version of the Farm Bill is The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008.
Below is an analysis conducted by MapLight on contributions connected to the Agribusiness sector to members of the House and Senate agriculture committees.
Contributions by Agriculture Interest to the Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees of the 112th Congress (Jan. 1, 2001 - Jun. 30, 2011) NOTE: The figures below only include contributions coded as belonging to the "Agribusiness" sector by the Center for Responsive Politics. They do not necessarily represent all contributions from the organization (and its employees) to members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees.
| Business | Total Contributions to Ag Cmte Members |
| Crop production & basic processing | $3,841,515 |
| Milk & dairy producers | $2,885,370 |
| Sugar cane & sugar beets | $2,602,764 |
| Agricultural services & related industries | $1,992,829 |
| Livestock | $1,937,774 |
| Agricultural chemicals (fertilizers & pesticides) | $1,464,683 |
| Tobacco & Tobacco products | $1,386,264 |
| Forestry & Forest Products | $1,289,472 |
| Poultry & eggs | $1,208,714 |
| Other commodities (incl rice, peanuts, honey) | $1,207,043 |
| Vegetables, fruits and tree nut | $948,485 |
| Farm organizations & cooperatives | $877,646 |
| Animal feed & health products | $862,504 |
| Cotton | $762,718 |
| Farm machinery & equipment | $734,600 |
| Wheat, corn, soybeans and cash grain | $656,066 |
| Veterinarians | $554,450 |
| Grain traders & terminals | $366,450 |
| Paper & pulp mills and paper manufacturing | $356,716 |
| Florists & Nursery Services | $232,350 |
| Feedlots & related livestock services | $198,300 |
| Horse breeders | $165,575 |
| Agriculture | $106,680 |
| Sheep and Wool Producers | $52,500 |
| Total | $26,691,468 |
Top Contributors in Specific Crop/Product Groups | |
| Dairy | Total Contributions to Ag Cmte Members |
| Dairy Farmers of America | $550,100 |
| Land O'Lakes | $380,980 |
| Dean Foods | $377,400 |
| International Dairy Foods Association | $296,053 |
| California Dairies Inc | $294,400 |
| Sugar | Total Contributions to Ag Cmte Members |
| American Crystal Sugar | $984,998 |
| Southern Minn Beet Sugar Co-Op | $329,957 |
| American Sugar Cane League | $223,469 |
| Minn-Dak Farmers Co-Op | $185,560 |
| Florida Crystals | $170,250 |
| Livestock | Total Contributions to Ag Cmte Members |
| National Pork Producers Council | $276,214 |
| National Cattlemen's Beef Association | $275,238 |
| Livestock Marketing Association | $95,000 |
| Texas Cattle Feeders Association | $94,000 |
| Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers | $65,500 |
| Poultry/Eggs | Total Contributions to Ag Cmte Members |
| United Egg Association | $414,500 |
| National Chicken Council | $235,565 |
| National Turkey Federation | $170,034 |
| Tyson Foods | $117,150 |
| Pilgrim's Pride Corp | $55,650 |
| Rice | Total Contributions to Ag Cmte Members |
| USA Rice Federation | $198,381 |
| Farmers' Rice Cooperative | $138,042 |
| Riceland Foods | $75,990 |
| California Rice Industry Association Fund | $66,220 |
| Producers Rice Mill Inc | $49,000 |
| Cotton | Total Contributions to Ag Cmte Members |
| National Cotton Council | $332,718 |
| American Cotton Shippers Association | $80,000 |
| Southern Cotton Growers Inc | $60,000 |
| Plains Cotton Growers | $40,750 |
| Calcot Ltd | $36,000 |
| Corn | Total Contributions to Ag Cmte Members |
| National Corn Growers Association | $66,666 |
| Iowa Corn Growers Association | $23,325 |
| Corn Producers Association of Texas | $11,700 |
| Minnesota Corn Growers Association | $11,050 |
| Corn Refiners Association | $3,750 |
| Soybeans | Total Contributions to Ag Cmte Members |
| AG Processing | $163,000 |
| American Soybean Association | $87,000 |
| Owensboro Grain | $5,000 |
| Missouri Soybean Association | $4,000 |
| North Carolina Soybean Producers Association | $500 |
| Wheat | Total Contributions to Ag Cmte Members |
| National Association of Wheat Growers | $103,950 |
| Texas Wheat Producers Association | $13,300 |
| Midwest Grain Products | $4,600 |
| Miller Milling Co | $1,000 |
| Colorado Association of Wheat Growers | $500 |
METHODOLOGY: MapLight analysis of campaign contributions to the current members (as of Nov. 14, 2011) of the House and Senate Agriculture committees from the Agribusiness sector from Jan. 1, 2001-June 30, 2011. Campaign finance data and industry classifications provided by the Center for Responsive Politics.
To view an analysis of campaign contributions connected to the Agribusiness sector to members of the Super Committee click here.
