United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

The Committee of Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of all matters relating to the nation's agriculture industry, farming programs, forestry and logging, and legislation relating to nutrition and health.

History

Founded in 1825 the Committee was formed at the request of Senator William Findlay from Pennsylvania. Arguing that agriculture was as important to national progress as commerce and manufacturing, Findlay succeeded in persuading the full Senate to divide the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures into two separate committees. The Committee on Agriculture was formed by resolution on December 9, 1825.

During the first four decades of the existence of this committee, the need for it was repeatedly called into question. At that time in America, nearly ²⁄₃ of the population was directly engaged in agriculture. As such, issues related to agriculture overlapped with areas covered by other committees and were often referred to those committees instead of the Agriculture Committee.

Following a debate over the necessity of various committees to have need of the services of a dedicated clerk, a Special Committee was formed to investigate ways to "reduce the number and increase the efficiency of the committees." On February 17, 1857, the Special Committee submitted a plan of reorganization for the committees that did not include the Agriculture Committee. During a special session of the Senate, on March 5, 1857, the Senate approved the Special Committees recommendations and the Committee on Agriculture was dissolved.

In 1862, the country was embroiled in the Civil War, a large influx of immigrants was occurring and the nation was moving towards industrialization. That year, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Organic Act recreating the Department of Agriculture.

It became the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry in 1884, a reflection of the growing importance of forests to the country's needs. It was renamed again to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry in 1977. Nutrition was added to the name after the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 directed the Department of Agriculture to "conduct more human nutrition research, establish a national nutrition education program and develop a system to monitor America's nutritional status".

Members

Current membership

The Committee is chaired by Democrat Debbie Stabenow, and the Ranking member is Republican Pat Roberts.

Majority	Minority
Debbie Stabenow, Michigan, Chairwoman Patrick Leahy, Vermont Tom Harkin, Iowa Kent Conrad, North Dakota Max Baucus, Montana Ben Nelson, Nebraska Sherrod Brown, Ohio Bob Casey, Pennsylvania Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Michael Bennet, Colorado Kirsten Gillibrand, New York	Pat Roberts, Kansas, Ranking Member Dick Lugar, Indiana Thad Cochran, Mississippi Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Saxby Chambliss, Georgia Mike Johanns, Nebraska John Boozman, Arkansas Chuck Grassley, Iowa John Thune, South Dakota John Hoeven, North Dakota

Source: 2011 Congressional Record, Vol. 157, Page S556 to 557

111th Congress

The Committee was chaired by Democrat Blanche Lincoln, and the Ranking Minority Member was Republican Saxby Chambliss.

Majority (Democrats)	Minority (Republicans)
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas, Chairwoman Tom Harkin, Iowa Patrick Leahy, Vermont Kent Conrad, North Dakota Max Baucus, Montana Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Ben Nelson, Nebraska Sherrod Brown, Ohio Bob Casey, Pennsylvania Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Michael Bennet, Colorado Kirsten Gillibrand, New York	Saxby Chambliss, Georgia, Ranking Member Richard Lugar, Indiana Thad Cochran, Mississippi Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Pat Roberts, Kansas Mike Johanns, Nebraska Charles Grassley, Iowa John Thune, South Dakota John Cornyn, Texas

Sources: 2009 Congressional Record, Vol. 155, Page S7807 and S9189.

110th Congress

The Committee was chaired by Democrat Tom Harkin, and the Ranking Minority Member was Republican Saxby Chambliss.

Majority (Democrats)	Minority (Republicans)
Thomas R. Harkin, Iowa, Chairman Patrick Leahy, Vermont Kent Conrad, North Dakota Max Baucus, Montana Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Ben Nelson, Nebraska Ken Salazar, Colorado Sherrod Brown, Ohio Bob Casey, Pennsylvania Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota	Saxby Chambliss, Georgia, Ranking Member Richard Lugar, Indiana Thad Cochran, Mississippi Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Pat Roberts, Kansas Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Norm Coleman, Minnesota Mike Crapo, Idaho John Thune, South Dakota Charles Grassley, Iowa

109th Congress

The Committee was chaired by Republican Saxby Chambliss, and the Ranking Minority Member was Democrat Tom Harkin.

Majority (Republicans)	Minority (Democrats)
Saxby Chambliss, Georgia, Chairman Richard Lugar, Indiana Thad Cochran, Mississippi Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Pat Roberts, Kansas James Talent, Missouri Craig Thomas, Wyoming Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania Norm Coleman, Minnesota Mike Crapo, Idaho Charles Grassley, Iowa	Tom Harkin, Iowa, Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, Vermont Kent Conrad, North Dakota Max Baucus, Montana Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Ben Nelson, Nebraska Mark Dayton, Minnesota Ken Salazar, Colorado

108th Congress

The Committee was chaired by Republican Senator Thad Cochran. The ranking Democrat was Tom Harkin.

Majority (Republicans)	Minority (Democrats)
Thad Cochran, Mississippi, Chairman Dick Lugar, Indiana Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Pat Roberts, Kansas Peter Fitzgerald, Illinois Saxby Chambliss, Georgia Norm Coleman, Minnesota Mike Crapo, Idaho Jim Talent, Missouri Elizabeth Dole, North Carolina Chuck Grassley, Iowa	Tom Harkin, Iowa, Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, Vermont Kent Conrad, North Dakota Tom Daschle, South Dakota Max Baucus, Montana Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas Zell Miller, Georgia Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Ben Nelson, Nebraska Mark Dayton, Minnesota

Subcommittees

Current congress

Subcommittees	Chairmen (Democrats)	Ranking members (Republicans)
Commodities, Markets, Trade and Risk Management	Ben Nelson	Saxby Chambliss
Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resources	Michael Bennet	John Boozman
Jobs, Rural Economic Growth and Energy Innovation	Sherrod Brown	John Thune
Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Marketing and Agriculture Security	Kirsten Gillibrand	Mike Johanns
Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Food and Agricultural Research	Bob Casey, Jr.	Richard Lugar

Source: Committee Membership List: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (United States Senate, as of June 2011)

111th Congress

Subcommittees	Chairmen (Democrats)	Ranking members (Republicans)
Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant and Animal Health	Kirsten Gillibrand	Mike Johanns
Energy, Science and Technology	Michael Bennet	John Thune
Hunger, Nutrition and Family Farms	Sherrod Brown	Richard Lugar
Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit	Debbie Stabenow	John Cornyn
Production, Income Protection and Price Support	Bob Casey, Jr.	Pat Roberts

Source: "Subcommittees of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee". Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry. http://agriculture.senate.gov/sub.htm. Retrieved February 14, 2007. 

110th Congress

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Chairmen

The committee, under its various names, has been chaired by the following senators:

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, 1829-1857

	Name	Party	State	Years
	William Marks	National Republican	Pennsylvania	1829–1831
	Horatio Seymour	National Republican	Vermont	1831–1833
	Bedford Brown	Democratic	North Carolina	1833–1836
	John Page	Democratic	New Hampshire	1836–1837
	Perry Smith	Democratic	Connecticut	1837–1839
	Alexander Mouton	Democratic	Louisiana	1839–1841
	Lewis F. Linn	Democratic	Missouri	1841–1843
	William Upham	Whig	Vermont	1843–1845
	Daniel Sturgeon	Democratic	Pennsylvania	1845–1851
	Pierre Soulé	Democratic	Louisiana	1851–1953
	Philip Allen	Democratic	Rhode Island	1853–1857

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, 1863-1884

	Name	Party	State	Years
	John Sherman	Republican	Ohio	1863–1867
	Simon Cameron	Republican	Pennsylvania	1867–1871
	Oliver P. Morton	Republican	Indiana	1871–1872
	Frederick T. Frelinghuysen	Republican	New Jersey	1872–1877
	Algernon S. Paddock	Republican	Nebraska	1877–1879
	John Johnston	Democratic	Virginia	1879–1881

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, 1884-1977

	Name	Party	State	Years
	Warner Miller	Republican	New York	1884–1887
	Thomas W. Palmer	Republican	Michigan	1887–1889
	Algernon S. Paddock	Republican	Nebraska	1889–1893
	James Z. George	Democratic	Mississippi	1893–1895
	Redfield Proctor	Republican	Vermont	1895–1908
	Henry C. Hansbrough	Republican	North Dakota	1908–1909
	Jonathan P. Dolliver	Republican	Iowa	1909–1910
	Henry E. Burnham	Republican	New Hampshire	1911–1913
	Thomas P. Gore	Democratic	Oklahoma	1913–1919
	Asle J. Gronna	Republican	North Dakota	1919–1921
	George W. Norris	Republican	Nebraska	1921–1926
	Charles McNary	Republican	Oregon	1926–1933
	Ellison D. Smith	Democratic	South Carolina	1933–1944
	Elmer Thomas	Democratic	Oklahoma	1944–1947
	Arthur Capper	Republican	Kansas	1947–1949
	Elmer Thomas	Democratic	Oklahoma	1949–1951
	Allen J. Ellender	Democratic	Louisiana	1951–1953
	George D. Aiken	Republican	Vermont	1953–1955
	Allen J. Ellender	Democratic	Louisiana	1955–1971
	Herman E. Talmadge	Democratic	Georgia	1971–1977

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, 1977-present

	Name	Party	State	Years
	Herman E. Talmadge	Democratic	Georgia	1977–1981
	Jesse Helms	Republican	North Carolina	1981–1987
	Patrick Leahy	Democratic	Vermont	1987–1995
	Richard G. Lugar	Republican	Indiana	1995–2001
	Thomas R. Harkin	Democratic	Iowa	2001
	Richard G. Lugar	Republican	Indiana	2001
	Thomas R. Harkin	Democratic	Iowa	2001–2003
	Thad Cochran	Republican	Mississippi	2003–2005
	Saxby Chambliss	Republican	Georgia	2005–2007
	Thomas R. Harkin	Democratic	Iowa	2007–2009
	Blanche Lincoln	Democratic	Arkansas	2009–2011
	Debbie Stabenow	Democratic	Michigan	2011–

External links

• Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
• S-doc 105-25, committee membership lists lists 1825-1998
• gpo.gov FDsys link Committee reports, 106th Congress to the present
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission
• Farm Credit Administration
• Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee member profiles at WhoRunsGov at The Washington Post