- 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 withlegislative oversight of all matters relating to the nation'sagriculture industry,farming programs,forestry andlogging , and legislation relating tonutrition andhealth . [cite web | title=Committee Jurisdiction | work=The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 1825-1998 | url=http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/sen_agriculture/gjurisdi.html | accessmonthday=October 14 | accessyear=2005]History
Founded in 1825 the Committee was formed at the request of Senator
William Findlay fromPennsylvania . Arguing that agriculture was as important to national progress ascommerce andmanufacturing , 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 onDecember 9 ,1825 . ["Register of Debates in Congress", December 9, 1825, p. 5]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. ["Register of Debates in Congress", December 9, 1825, p. 6] 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. [cite web | title=Chapter 1: The Committee is Created: 1825-1857 | work=The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 1825-1998 | url=http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/sen_agriculture/ch1.html | accessmonthday=October 14 | accessyear=2005]
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." ["Congressional Globe", December 23, 1856, pp. 182-184.] 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, onMarch 5 ,1857 , the Senate approved the Special Committees recommendations and the Committee on Agriculture was dissolved. ["Journal of the Senate", March 5, 1857, p. 386.]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, PresidentAbraham Lincoln signed the Organic Act recreating the Department of Agriculture. [Daniel J. Boorstin (1973), "The Americans: The Democratic Experience" p. 119, New York: Vintage Press.]It became the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry in
1884 , a reflection of the growing importance of forests to the country's needs. [U.S. Senate (1976). Temporary Select Committee to Study the Senate Committee System, p. 15. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.] It was renamed again to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry in1977 . Nutrition was added to the name after theFood 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". [cite web | title=Chapter 7: Borrowing and Credit: 1970-1979 | work=The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 1825-1998 | url=http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/sen_agriculture/ch7.html | accessmonthday=October 14 | accessyear=2005]
=Members, 110th Congress=The Committee is chaired by Democrat
Tom Harkin ofIowa , and the Ranking Minority Member is RepublicanSaxby Chambliss of Georgia.Subcommittees
=Chairmen [cite web | title=Appendix I: Chairmen of the Committee On Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, 1825 - 1997 | work=The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 1825-1998 | url=http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/sen_agriculture/append1a.html | accessmonthday=October 14 | accessyear=2005] =Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, 1829-1857
*William Marks (NR-PA) 1829-1831
*Horatio Seymour (NR-VT) 1831-1833
*Bedford Brown (D-NC) 1833-1836
*John Page (D-NH) 1836-1837
*Perry Smith (D-CT) 1837-1839
*Alexander Mouton (D-LA) 1839-1841
*Lewis F. Linn (D-MO) 1841-1843
*William Upham (W-VT) 1843-1845
*Daniel Sturgeon (D-PA) 1845-1851
*Pierre Soulé (D-LA) 1851-1853
*Philip Allen (D-RI) 1853-1857Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, 1863-1884
*John Sherman (R-OH) 1863-1867
*Simon Cameron (R-PA) 1867-1871
*Oliver P. Morton (R-IN) 1871-1872
*Frederick T. Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) 1872-1877
*Algernon S. Paddock (R-NE) 1877-1879
*John Johnston (D-VA) 1879-1881
*William Mahone (R-VA) 1881-1883
*Warner Miller (R-NY) 1883-1884Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, 1884-1977
*
Warner Miller (R-NY) 1884-1887
*Thomas W. Palmer (R-MI) 1887-1889
*Algernon S. Paddock (R-NE) 1889-1893
*James Z. George (D-MS) 1893-1895
*Redfield Proctor (R-VT) 1895-1908
*Henry C. Hansbrough (R-ND) 1908-1909
*Jonathan P. Dolliver (R-IA) 1909-1910
*Henry E. Burnham (R-NH) 1911-1913
*Thomas P. Gore (D-OK) 1913-1919
*Asle J. Gronna (R-ND) 1919-1921
*George W. Norris (R-NE) 1921-1926
*Charles McNary (R-OR) 1926-1933
*Ellison D. Smith (D-SC) 1933-1944
*Elmer Thomas (D-OK) 1944-1947
*Arthur Capper (R-KS) 1947-1949
*Elmer Thomas (D-OK) 1949-1951
*Allen J. Ellender (D-LA) 1951-1953
*George D. Aiken (R-VT) 1953-1955
*Allen J. Ellender (D-LA) 1955-1971
*Herman E. Talmadge (D-GA) 1971-1977Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, 1977-present
*
Herman E. Talmadge (D-GA) 1977-1981
*Jesse Helms (R-NC) 1981-1987
*Patrick Leahy (D-VT) 1987-1995
*Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) 1995-2001
*Thomas R. Harkin (D-IA) 2001
*Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) 2001
*Thomas R. Harkin (D-IA) 2001-2003
*Thad Cochran (R-MS) 2003-2005
*Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) 2005-2007
*Thomas R. Harkin (D-IA) 2007-presentReferences
External links
* [http://agriculture.senate.gov/ Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee]
* [http://www.cftc.gov/cftc/cftchome.htm Commodity Futures Trading Commission]
* [http://www.fca.gov/ Farm Credit Administration]
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