Lincoln Named Ag Committee Chair
September 9, 2009 A chain of events following the death of Senator Ted Kennedy has led to an Arkansas farm girl occupying the chairmanship of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Former chairman Senator Tom Harkin has taken the helm in Kennedy’s place as Chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, vacating the Senate Ag Committee chairmanship.
Mark Williams, President, Southwest Council of Agribusiness commented, “The American farmer and rancher could not have a better friend in Washington than Senator Blanche Lincoln. As a farm girl from Helena, Arkansas, she scouted rice levees growing up, so she knows what it’s like to make ends meet on the farm.”
In praise of her support of farmers across the U.S., Williams said, “As a Congressman and as a Senator, she has stood up against powerful interests in defense of those who work hard every day to put clothes on our back, food on our tables, and fuel in our tanks. And, as a person, Senator Lincoln is the genuine article. These are the qualities people want in their leaders and that’s what we have in the new Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.”
(Source: Plains Cotton Growers eMail Services)
Read the July Cotton Grower feature on Senator Lincoln for a more detailed look at her views on the U.S. Farm Bill.
Update: The National Cotton Council released the following statement regarding Senator Lincoln’s appointment on September 9.
The National Cotton Council (NCC), on behalf of the U.S. cotton industry, congratulates Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) on being named to chair the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Senator Lincoln, who replaces Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), will be the first Arkansan and first female ever to chair that Committee in the panel’s 184-year history.
“Senator Lincoln cares deeply about rural America and has worked diligently on behalf of production agriculture, nutrition programs and conservation initiatives,” said Louisiana cotton producer Jay Hardwick, NCC Chairman. “She will be an outstanding leader of the Senate Agriculture Committee!”
Hardwick said Senator Lincoln, who has been a member of the Senate agriculture committee since 1999, has been a champion of agriculture and rural America. That includes working diligently on issues ranging from childhood nutrition to commodities regulation and farm bill implementation. She played a key role in the 2008 farm bill debate, working on a bipartisan basis, ensuring a strong safety net for America’s farm families.
Former NCC Chairman Larry McClendon, an Arkansas cotton producer and ginner, said Senator Lincoln represents rural America’s values in a very effective way and that she will provide exceptional leadership in this new role.
“No Senator has worked harder or cares more about production agriculture, nutrition and conservation than Senator Lincoln,” McClendon said. “She will be an outstanding leader of U.S. agriculture as she demonstrated working in a bipartisan manner with Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) on the 2008 Farm Bill.”
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