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Election Could Change Ag Leadership

There has been a lot of speculation about the outcome of next Tuesday's election. Many pundits have already decided it's a foregone conclusion that Democrats will lose the majority in the House. Although one never knows until all the ballots are counted.

If the Republicans do regain control of the House this election cycle, Representative Frank Lucas, R-Okla., would likely become Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. Lucas , a farmer and rancher with a degree in agricultural economics, says he would welcome that opportunity.

"There is nothing that is more of a goal, more of a responsibility, more of a challenge for someone with my possible background than to craft or be the chairman when a farm bill is crafted," Lucas said. "Given the opportunity by the Republican caucus, if we are in the majority, I very much would like to have the opportunity to step up to that all important process."

Lucas says he is a big believer in the market and in the decision making capacity of farmers and ranchers and that philosophy is what he would bring as chairman of the House Ag Committee as the next farm bill is written.

"I want to take the good things from the 2008 Farm Bill and work with the things that have worked," Lucas said. "But I want to try to keep the Federal government from getting back into the process of telling every farmer and rancher what to do on every occasion or creating programs that so lock in producers that they don't have any flexibility and they have to follow the edicts of USDA in Washington D.C. We don't want to go back there. We want to be able to farm and ranch, that's where I'm taking us if I have a chance."

Lucas says he would also spend a good deal of time educating what could be a very large freshman class in January about rural America, production agriculture and processing.

But, in the meantime, Lucas is worried about what might not happen during the lame-duck session of Congress, following the election. If, there is no action on the tax issues, Lucas expects there could be a land-rush.

"If we don't do something about the capital gains rate, I worry there will be a run to sell stocks, bonds, commercial real estate and other short term assets before the end of the year," Lucas said. "Why pay 20% or 39% next year if you can pay 15% this year. Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi, Majority Leader (Harry) Reid and President Obama have to work with us to do something about that. They can not cause a run on assets, driving down values and pushing the economy potentially back into a deeper recession."