Ag Vote 2026: Who Speaks for America’s Farmers?

Alabama Senate Race: Who Best Speaks for Agriculture?

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 11:51:07 GMT

As the number of lawmakers with direct ties to production agriculture continues to shrink, who will step up to speak for rural America? Farm Journal is proud to present Ag Vote 2026: Who Speaks for America’s Farmers?, delivering in-depth reporting from now through Election Day. Tune in for LIVE election night coverage Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Central on Farm Journal TV , Farm Journal Now , AgWeb.com and YouTube .

In a senatorial race with ramifications for U.S. farming, Democrat Everett Wess and Republican Barry Moore are battling in Alabama. A key agriculture state, Alabama is second in U.S. broiler production, second in catfish, and a top producer of cotton, peanuts, timber, and sod.

Significantly, the number of federal legislators with direct ties to farming has dropped precipitously. Roughly 6% of Congress’ 535 members actively farm and that tally is consistently shrinking.

Which of Alabama’s two Senate candidates best understands agriculture?

Wess has served Alabama as a municipal court Judge, prosecutor, public defender, and private attorney. Moore was raised on a family farm and is a veteran and small business owner. Elected to the House of Representatives in 2021, Moore is currently a member of House Committee on Agriculture.

Responding to questions from Farm Journal, Wess detailed his perspective on farming. Moore did not respond to multiple Farm Journal interview requests via email and phone.

You’re running for a seat that has previously been on the Ag Committee. Do you hope to continue in that seat?

Wess: “Yes. If elected, I would seek a seat on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. Agriculture is essential to Alabama’s economy, our rural communities, and our national food supply. Alabama agriculture includes poultry, cattle, cotton, peanuts, soybeans, forestry, and catfish production.”

“I would approach this responsibility as an opportunity to listen to farmers, growers, ranchers, foresters, and agricultural workers across our state. Committee service should never be about political titles. It should be about delivering results for the people who work the land, raise our food, create jobs, and sustain rural Alabama.”

What is your message for farmers and ranchers? Why should they elect you to speak for them?

Wess: “My message is simple: Alabama farmers deserve a senator who listens to them, understands the challenges they face, and fights for policies that help them remain profitable and pass their operations on to the next generation.”

Only 6% of Congress’ 535 members actively farm and that tally is consistently shrinking.

(Graph by USDA)

“Farmers are business owners who face unpredictable weather, rising costs for fuel, fertilizer, equipment, feed, labor, and financing, as well as uncertainty in the marketplace. They work hard, take substantial risks, and provide the food, fiber, and other products our nation depends on.”

“As an attorney, former municipal judge, public defender, and computer science professional, I have built my career around problem-solving, public service, and advocating for people who need someone to stand up for them. I would bring that same approach to representing Alabama’s agricultural community.”

“I will listen to producers in every part of Alabama, from family cattle operations to poultry growers, peanut and cotton farmers, catfish producers, and timber operators. I will work to ensure that federal policy recognizes the realities of their businesses, not simply the priorities of Washington lobbyists.”

What are your top 3 key agricultural policy positions?

Wess: “First: Strengthen farm profitability and make essential inputs more affordable. I support policies that help producers manage the costs of fertilizer, fuel, feed, seed, equipment, labor, and credit. I would work to strengthen agricultural risk-management tools and ensure that farm programs respond to the needs of Alabama’s diverse producers, including small and beginning farmers.”

“Second: Expand reliable markets and protect fair competition. Alabama producers need dependable markets at home and abroad. I would support fair-trade policies that open markets for Alabama agricultural products, challenge unfair foreign competition, and avoid unnecessary trade disputes that can leave farmers paying higher costs or losing customers. I would also encourage stronger regional processing, storage, and distribution capacity so more agricultural value and jobs remain in Alabama.”

Everett Wess has served Alabama as a municipal court Judge, prosecutor, public defender, and private attorney.

(Campaign Stock Photos)

“Third: Invest in rural communities and the next generation of agriculture. Agriculture cannot thrive without reliable roads and bridges, rural broadband, access to financing, agricultural research, and a trained workforce. I would support practical investments that help rural communities attract businesses and help young people enter farming. I would also work to improve access to agricultural credit, conservation assistance, and technology that helps producers operate more efficiently.”

What are 2 things you’d like to see change for U.S. agriculture?

Wess: “First, I want to see a more predictable and dependable economic environment for farmers. Producers should not have to make major planting, purchasing, and investment decisions while facing unnecessary uncertainty about markets, input costs, and federal support programs. I want Congress to work toward stable, understandable farm policies that give producers the tools to manage risk, withstand disasters, and plan for the future. When trade policy changes, farmers deserve a clear understanding of how those decisions may affect their costs and markets.”

“Second, I want to make it easier for the next generation to enter and remain in agriculture. The cost of land, equipment, financing, and other necessities can make it difficult for young and beginning farmers to establish viable operations. I would work to improve access to affordable credit, strengthen agricultural education and training, and support programs that help family farms remain productive across generations.”

“Our country needs an agricultural system in which family operations and rural communities have a genuine opportunity to thrive—not just the largest operations with the greatest financial resources.”

What is your favorite connection to or story about agriculture and farming?

Wess: “My connection to agriculture begins with my Alabama roots and my appreciation for the people who work hard to provide for their families and communities. Growing up along the Gulf Coast and spending my adult life in Alabama have given me a deep respect for the traditions, work ethic, and community spirit that define our state.”

Elected to the House of Representatives in 2021, Barry Moore is currently a member of House Committee on Agriculture.

(Campaign Stock Photos)

“What stands out to me about farming is that it requires patience, discipline, faith, and a willingness to work today for results that may not come for months. Farmers plant seeds without controlling the weather, the marketplace, or every challenge that may arise. Yet they continue working because their families, their communities, and our country depend on them. That is a lesson in responsibility and perseverance that applies far beyond agriculture.”

“I believe Washington needs to appreciate that reality. Farmers do not need politicians to tell them how hard they work. They need public officials who respect their work, listen to their concerns, and help create conditions in which their businesses and families can succeed.”

How will you champion ag producers in your constituency when faced with bipartisan hurdles?

Wess: “I will approach agricultural policy with an open mind, a willingness to listen, and a firm commitment to Alabama’s interests. Agriculture should not be a partisan issue. Farmers, growers, and ranchers across our state share many of the same concerns regardless of political affiliation: profitability, access to markets, affordable inputs, disaster protection, rural infrastructure, and the ability to pass their operations on to their children.”

“As a senator, I would build relationships with colleagues from both parties, work with agricultural organizations and producer associations, and consult directly with farmers before supporting major legislation. I would seek common ground wherever possible, while being prepared to challenge policies that do not adequately serve Alabama producers.”

“I would also insist on accountability. Federal programs should be evaluated based on whether they deliver meaningful results for the people they are intended to serve.”

“My commitment is to put Alabama’s agricultural interests ahead of partisan politics. I will work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, who is willing to advance practical solutions for our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. When we disagree, I will keep talking, negotiating, and looking for a path forward. And when Alabama producers need an advocate, I will make sure their voices are heard in Washington.”

As Farmer Voices in Washington Disappear, Who Will Speak for American Ag?

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 21:14:50 GMT

As the number of lawmakers with direct ties to production agriculture continues to shrink, who will step up to speak for rural America? Farm Journal is proud to present Ag Vote 2026: Who Speaks for America’s Farmers?, delivering in-depth reporting from now through Election Day. Tune in for LIVE election night coverage Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. Central on Farm Journal TV , Farm Journal Now , AgWeb.com and YouTube .

We are just three weeks away from the midterm elections and American agriculture has a lot at stake. From the cost of fuel and fertilizer to the future of the farm bill, tariffs and trade, how the vote goes will set the agenda for the next couple of years. But who represents those items in Washington is the biggest part of that future.

No doubt, farmers have been front and center with this administration. Back in March, President Trump hosted a gathering of farmers and ranchers on the White House lawn.

“You voted for me. I’ll never forget that,” said President Trump in his closing remarks. “I’ll never forget the great friendship that we’ve had.”

From aid packages and trade agreements to surprise beef import announcements, persistently high fertilizer prices and surging fuel costs, agriculture and farm policy have remained prominent issues during President Trump’s second term.

“We do not have a farm bill and there is a big question as to whether or not the farm bill will get done, or even can get done, in a lame duck after the midterm elections,” says Callie Eideberg with The Vogel Group .

Strong Ag Voices Leaving

As the midterms approach, Congress is set for a shuffle. Many long-tenured advocates of ag are leaving Washington. Names like Mitch McConnell, Amy Klobuchar, Joni Ernst, Angie Craig and Thomas Massie are on that list. Some are retiring, others are seeking higher office and some lost their primaries.

The midterm vote is poised to determine who will speak for America’s farmers and ranchers in the future. Many of those leaving have direct ties or personal ag backgrounds, even as rural voters express frustration about a lack of knowledge about their livelihoods in D.C.

“What we are seeing and what we’re hearing is that there is frustration across the countryside that elected officials just don’t understand what it’s like to live and work on a farm,” says Michael Amato of Amato Advisors.

Disconnected from Washington

(Lori Hays)

Earlier this year, Amato Advisors and Farm Journal surveyed rural voters about the midterm elections and found they feel disconnected from their D.C. representatives. Seventy-three percent said elected officials don’t understand them and roughly a quarter said the right candidate, with real farm ties, could sway their vote.

“Even in this era of deep partisan division, an increasing number of Americans, especially rural Americans, are just fed up with both parties and that’s an interesting combination,” says Nicholas Jacobs, a political science professor at Colby College and author of The Rural Voter . “We are becoming more divided, but then more and more people are just politically homeless.”

Fewer Farmers in Washington

Created Using AI-assisted Research

(Farm Journal)

The number of members in Congress whose prior occupation was farming continues to dwindle, falling from more than 20% around 1950 to somewhere between 3% and 8% today.

“One of the surprising things is that farmers were so well represented even as the percent of the population that was directly engaged in agriculture, ranching or other forms of ag production declined,” Jacobs says. “Yet you saw representatives from those industries still elected.”

Ag Voices At Risk

Ahead of November, according to Farm Journal calculations, there are 136 members of Congress who have a voice for agriculture in Washington, D.C. That includes those who serve on the House or Senate Ag Committees. Of those, 90 members have some sort of personal background or connection to agriculture. That is defined by growing up on or owning a farm or ranch, working in agriculture or an ag-related job, having a parent or grandparent who farmed, or owning farmland of their own.

Of the 136 members who have a voice in ag, nearly 40 are either leaving Congress, running for another chamber or facing a competitive race this cycle. History indicates that when the voting ends, there are likely to be fewer ag voices in Washington.

“When you lose that experience, when you lose that direct connection, what we know is that politicians become more dependent on their staffers,” Jacobs says. “I’m not super convinced that either party’s dependency on young staffers, who spend all their time in D.C., is necessarily a good thing for the country. Politicians [also] become more dependent on lobbyist groups.”

It likely will not be a sea change or total loss of strong ag voices. Current polling shows 77 of the 136 with an ag voice are in less competitive races and 23 aren’t even up for reelection.

Ag Voices Ahead of the 2026 Midterm Elections

(Lori Hays)

“This has certainly been a heavily Republican voting bloc, but we’ve seen signs that they’re looking around now and trying to look at candidates, specifically,” adds Amato. “I don’t think this is a political realignment, but I think there are opportunities for candidates on both sides of the party to step up and communicate that they understand what it’s like to live on a farm.”

And that open door has political pundits wondering just how much opportunity lies at the ballot box this November.

“Historically, I think once since Reconstruction has the president’s party in power in the second term of that presidency actually held or gained seats in that second midterm,” says Tyson Redpath with The Russell Group . “History is at odds with the GOP’s chances of adding seats in the House and Senate during this midterm.”

A Non-Ag Endorsement

“What’s happening in Washington now is just unbelievable,” laments Bob Stallman, a rice and cattle farmer from Texas and former president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

This year, he’s endorsing a non-ag candidate, James Talarico, over another non-ag candidate, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, for U.S. Senate.

“James Talarico, I mean, he’s willing to see where the problems are,” Stallman says. “He’s willing to work, he’s willing to learn and he understands the importance of agriculture to the state of Texas.”
When asked why Stallman, who spent years fighting for ag interests in Washington, is endorsing a non-ag candidate, he said it’s about a willingness to engage.

“You know, he didn’t sit next to me over the years as we debated the details, the onerous details, of farm bills and those kinds of things, but he’s willing to learn,” Stallman says.

His endorsement stands at odds with the Texas Farm Bureau , which is backing Paxton, citing his time as attorney general and work involving farmers and rural landowners.

Races Heat Up Farm Country

The race in Texas isn’t the only one with rural roots. There are tight races in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and beyond.

“In Kansas you’re talking about over a century or nearly a century of that Senate seat being in Republican hands,” Redpath says. “Does that flip?”

Amato is keeping his eyes on Iowa.

“I think it’s an ag-heavy state and there are open seats on the Senate side, there are open seats on the [House] side and there’s an interesting governor’s race happening there,” Amato says.

As Nov. 3 approaches, this election is likely to boil down to voter turnout.

“For 30 years, almost from the nineties until really Barack Obama’s presidency, the Republican Party always had turnout advantage just based on who comprised their coalition,” Jacobs explains. “Then it flipped and now Democrats have the turnout advantage because more of what we call high propensity voters are more likely to vote Democrat.”

It’s The Ag Economy

Input Costs Remain a Hot Topic

(Lori Hays)

Beyond just turnout, today’s business headaches and tight economics are adding to the conversation. Will frustrations around the cost of fuel and fertilizer drive voters’ decisions?

We recently asked ag economists about what will matter most to rural voters this cycle and 84% agreed that inputs and energy costs are at the top of the list. Those concerns clocked in well ahead of trade or tariff policy and rural healthcare.

New Leadership, New Priorities

The fallout has the potential to significantly impact rural economic policy in 2027 and beyond. If leadership in the House changes, a new Democratic chair of the House Ag Committee is likely to take a different approach to the farm bill if it’s not passed during the lame duck session of Congress.

“Those members are very likely going to want to put their own stamp on a farm bill,” Eideberg says. “I think folks should expect to see a greater emphasis on the SNAP program and probably an emphasis on oversight of the decisions that USDA has been making over the last two years.”

In the Senate, Democratic Ag Committee leadership is going to change regardless.

“If Senator Michael Bennet becomes either the chairman or the ranking member of the Senate Ag Committee, we’re going to see a big focus on Western producers,” explains Eideberg. “We’ll probably see much more [focus] on ranching than we have seen in the past, when we’ve seen Midwestern or Southern members control the committee.”

Speak Up, Educate More

However the next Congress shakes out, the question for rural agricultural voters remains: how does a country founded with such close ties to agriculture change if farmer voices continue to disappear?

“I think that it matters in a much more fundamental way whether people feel represented, whether they feel seen, and whether they trust the people that are going to office to represent them,” Jacobs says.

These experts say that whether the candidate is a farmer or not, the agriculture industry has a responsibility to educate.

“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a time where people are more interested in how their food is grown, where it’s grown, and why it’s grown in the manner that it is,” Redpath says. “The more people that are interested in our food and agriculture supply system, the better. But with that comes responsibility, right? With that comes the opportunity and the challenge to explain, to educate and that [is what] has changed.”

Even though Stallman has been out of the spotlight for the last decade, he agrees that in today’s political climate, continuous education is paramount.

“I think too many organizations look at their big fly-in as, you know, wow, we did our jobs,” Stallman says. “No, it’s an everyday job. It’s getting on the phone. It’s getting on the internet. It’s getting on social media and making the case for agriculture and developing those relationships; that’s the most important thing.”

House Agriculture Committee Seat at Stake in NC 1st District Race

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 16:11:27 GMT

Laurie Buckhout and Donald Davis are entering the North Carolina 1st District contest with agriculture at the center of their personal stories.

From Cattle Farms to Tobacco Fields

Buckhout, from the ranching side, and Davis, from tobacco, are setting up a campaign where farm economics could become the key political battleground.

Agriculture voters are paying attention because North Carolina’s 1st District sits at the intersection of rural economies and federal decision-making, where changes in funding, regulation, and trade can move prices and risk up or down.

Buckhout grew up on a cattle farm and is a retired Army colonel. Part of her campaign has been about looking out for multigenerational farmers. In race coverage, she’s been tied to arguments about high energy costs as a way to help farmers and reduce food costs.

Davis serves on the House Agriculture Committee. He says he learned the value of hard work creating opportunities from his time working in tobacco fields . He ties his candidacy to affordability for District 1, using his tobacco-field background as part of that narrative.

Top Positions and Priorities

We reached out to both candidates with questions about their campaign. At publication, we have only received a response from Buckhout.

You’re running for a seat currently held by a member of the House Agriculture Committee. Do you hope to continue in that seat? Why or why not?

Buckhout: Yes. I grew up on a cattle farm, where you wake up early, get to work, and don’t waste time complaining. I built a business, so I know what it takes to keep an operation running. Farmers are the lifeblood of eastern North Carolina, and the Ag Committee seat belongs to someone who will actually fight for them. I will.

What is your message for farmers/growers and ranchers? Why should they elect you to speak for them?

Buckhout: I grew up on a cattle farm and served 26 years in the U.S. Army. Both taught me the same things: show up, keep your word, and never leave your people behind.
When Congress passed the largest investment in American farms in generations, our current representative voted no. Our farmers needed a champion and didn’t get one.
I’ll fight for a strong safety net, less red tape, and a real future for the next generation on the land. A nation that can’t feed itself can’t defend itself. I’m not a career politician. I’m a farm kid who served her country, and I won’t just speak about you in Washington. I’ll speak for you.

What are your top three key agricultural policy positions?

Buckhout: First, a real farm bill. Eastern North Carolina can’t plan a season on ad hoc tariff relief and a bill last written in 2018. It has to open markets, update crop insurance to match today’s costs and weather, and keep Washington out of decisions that belong on the farm, and it has to work for tobacco, sweet potatoes, peanuts, cotton, livestock, and seafood, not just Midwest row crops. Commissioner Troxler has kept these fights in front of North Carolina, and I’ll treat them as one fight in Congress.

Second, save our farmland. North Carolina loses roughly 100,000 acres of farm and forest a year, more than a million by 2040 if nothing changes. I’ll back federal matching for permanent easements and fight the foreign buyers snapping up American land. The family farm is a way of life and a national security issue: a country that paves over its farmland can’t feed itself.

Third, disaster aid that arrives before a farm has to sell. We’ve lived through Floyd, Matthew, and Florence. Recovery can’t depend on a one-time check after the fact. I’ll work to lock in reliable disaster funding and pair it with research through our land-grant universities so smaller farms can keep up.

What are two things you would like to see change for American Agriculture?

Buckhout: Cut the red tape. America leads the world in agricultural trade, and every unnecessary regulation adds cost that hands our competitors the advantage. Our farmers win any fair fight.
Fix the H-2A program. Tobacco and sweet potatoes and farmers deserve a predictable program that doesn’t cost a fortune. Nobody can forecast a season around a broken labor pipeline.

What is your favorite connection to or story about agriculture and farming?

Buckhout: I dreamed of being a veterinarian, right up until I had to help our large animal vet pull calves from our Angus cattle, with the rope tied to my saddle, backing up my horse. Believe it or not, the Army was the easier career choice. Growing up on a farm gave me a lifelong love of the land, and it’s probably why I avoided office jobs my whole career.

How do you/will you champion the ag producers in your constituency when faced with bi-partisan hurdles?

Buckhout: Red, blue, or yellow, I don’t care what party someone belongs to. If a vote helps the farmers feeding this nation, I’m working with whoever will take it.

Is there anything else you’d like farmers/growers and ranchers to know about you?

Buckhout: I grew up on a cattle farm, the daughter of two veterans, stacking hay bales every summer, so I know what it means when the weather, the price, and the labor all go wrong in the same season. I served 26 years in the Army, raised a family, built a business, and live in Edenton. Our multigenerational farms and fishing families have been pushed around by bureaucrats for too long. In Congress I’ll cut the red tape, fight the foreign buyers taking our farmland, and deliver a real farm bill. And you’ll have a representative who answers the phone and shows up in the counties, because to me the family farm is a way of life worth defending, not a photo op.

Contrast Between Candidates

The contrast between Buckhout’s cattle ranching roots and Davis’s tobacco-field experience reflects the agricultural diversity of North Carolina’s 1st District. With both candidates anchoring their campaigns in farm backgrounds, the race will test whether voters prioritize committee seniority or a new voice on agricultural policy. As the district continues to lose farmland and farmers navigate uncertain markets, the outcome will determine who carries eastern North Carolina’s agricultural concerns to Washington for the next two years.

Georgia’s 14th District Rematch: A Cattleman Takes On the Incumbent in Deep-Red Ag Country

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:57:40 GMT

In the rolling hills of northwest Georgia, this November’s race for the 14th Congressional District offers one of the clearest philosophical contrasts in modern farm politics: a working cattleman promising boots-on-the-ground producer relief versus a conservative incumbent betting on transportation clout and regulatory rollbacks.

The seat was previously held by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene , who abruptly resigned in January 2026 following a publicized falling out with President Donald Trump. A competitive special election took place in early 2026, which ultimately resulted in Clay Fuller defeating Shawn Harris in an April 7 runoff (55.9% to 44.1%) to serve the remainder of the term. Now, just months later, the two are facing off again for the full term in the November 2026 general election.

Northwest Georgia is an economic hub for commercial broiler production and cow-calf operations. Decisions on USDA rules, Packers and Stockyards Act enforcement, disease indemnity (e.g., Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza response) and livestock disaster programs depend directly on congressional advocacy.

While the 14th District remains heavily conservative on paper, both campaigns have spent months actively courting the rural and agribusiness vote. Here is a look at the two candidates, their direct ties to agriculture, and why the race matters to producers.

(Provided by Harris)

The Challenger: A Producer’s Kitchen-Table Ag Agenda

For Harris, agriculture is his day-to-day reality.

“I’m not somebody that has to be briefed up on agriculture. I live it,” Harris says. Following his interview with Farm Journal, he was going to rotate his cows.

A retired U.S. Army brigadier general who spent 40 years in uniform — starting as an enlisted Marine before earning an agribusiness degree at Tuskegee University — Harris grew up around peanut production in Blakely, Ga. Today, he owns a cow-calf business on family land in Cedartown, raising Red Angus, Angus and Charolais cattle.
Harris has centered his bid on the kitchen-table frictions familiar to any livestock producer. Building a direct farm-to-table and seedstock operation exposes him firsthand to the bottlenecks of securing USDA-inspected processing.

“I wanted to make sure that whatever came off my farm and went to somebody else’s house was checked just as if they went to Walmart or somewhere else,” he explains.
Running as a self-described moderate Democrat, Harris argues party politics has stalled practical policy. His primary legislative goal is to break the stalemate on federal farm legislation.

“No. 1, I want to get there in day one. If the farm bill hadn’t passed, I want to make sure it gets passed,” Harris stresses.

He says lawmakers too often put party priorities ahead of getting work done for farmers.

“I want to make sure that I am laser focused on what is happening in northwest Georgia,” he adds. He says he would seek a seat on the House Agriculture Committee.
His other priorities include addressing farm input costs — such as fertilizer and diesel — and reducing barriers for people trying to enter agriculture. He is concerned that high costs and corporate farmland ownership could make it harder for younger generations, including those without a family farm, to get started.

“If we don’t do something very quickly, the next generation will not be in agriculture,” he says, adding that he sees food production as a national security concern.
Harris also raises concerns about farm profitability and reliance on federal assistance. “I’m concerned that we are getting ourselves in a situation where, as farmers, we’re doing the farming, but we’re not making a profit,” he says.

He explains producers need dependable markets for what they grow and raise. He describes watching live cattle prices fall during the same week he was selling steers and says he believes foreign beef imports and market dynamics deserve attention. He also points to the impact of closed paper mills on timber producers, including in his hometown of Blakely, Ga.

If elected, Harris says he would draw on his military and diplomatic experience to work across party lines. He describes building relationships and negotiating with people who may not share his views as skills he would bring to Congress.

“I don’t have to like you to sit down and have a conversation with you,” Harris summarizes. He says he would look for areas of agreement with lawmakers representing other rural communities and try to move shared priorities forward.

Harris offers voters a candidate who walks pasture ground every day and focuses on anti-monopoly enforcement, input price relief and expanding federal safety nets for family-scale operators.

Harris’s pitch to farmers is his policy views come from working on a farm himself. “At the end of the day, I am just a farmer,” he summarizes.

The Incumbent: Moving Freight and Cutting Red Tape

Republican incumbent Rep. Clay Fuller did not respond to Farm Journal’s request for an interview.

Fuller, a former district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit and a lieutenant colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard, does not claim to run livestock. Instead, his pitch to farm country rests on where he sits in Washington: the House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee.

For Georgia’s sprawling poultry and forestry sectors, distribution reliability is a lifeline. Fuller holds seats on critical T&I subcommittees governing Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials; Highways and Transit; and Water Resources and Environment. In a district where feed grains must reliably roll in by rail and processed broilers and lumber must move out along interstate corridors to domestic markets and the Port of Savannah, Fuller argues committee leverage directly protects growers’ bottom lines.

The Bottom Line for Ag

Come Election Day, northwest Georgia’s farm families face a tactical decision. Do they send an active producer to Congress who promises to fight for a new farm bill, small-farm margins and the next generation of agriculture producers? Or do they back an incumbent who leverages transportation and infrastructure oversight to keep Georgia’s freight moving while holding the line against federal regulation?

In deep-red ag country, the answer will signal what kind of representation rural producers value most: a boots-on-the-ground producer focused on kitchen-table input relief, or a deregulatory conservative leveraging strategic infrastructure committees in Washington.

Iowa Senate Race Plays Out Amid Tight Farm Margins

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:40:59 GMT

Input costs, trade and an unfinished Farm Bill sit at the center of Iowa’s open U.S. Senate race. With harvest under way, both candidates say farmers are being squeezed, and both say they want a seat on the Senate Ag Committee.

The seat belongs to Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who is not seeking reelection and sits on the Senate Ag Committee. Whoever wins in November inherits an Iowa voice on the committee as the Senate takes up a farm bill.

They disagree on the cause of the farmer margin tightness. Hinson, a three-term congresswoman, points to input costs and says she has delivered for agriculture in the House. Turek, a state representative, points to the war in Iran and tariffs and says Hinson’s votes helped create the problem.

AgWeb and AgriTalk asked both candidates about their priorities for agriculture. Hinson joined AgriTalk host Chip Flory for a live interview and also submitted written answers. Turek submitted written answers.

Ashley Hinson (R)

Hinson says her agenda starts with input costs, especially fertilizer. She says she has pressed USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins on the need for more domestic fertilizer production and that USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden recently heard from Iowa farmers directly.

“I know that things are tough right now,” Hinson says. “I know what’s at stake here because it is your livelihood. It’s your family’s future.”

On near-term relief, she says the most immediate help was the change to countervailing duties on fertilizer inputs. She says she is also talking with colleagues about a diesel rebate program, and she would support another bridge payment if farmers need it. Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., has said another payment is needed. Hinson says she raised the idea of funding bridge payments with tariff revenue with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent months ago and plans to check back with him.
On E15, Hinson says the House passed bipartisan legislation to allow year-round sales nationwide. She says she expects the issue to be finished after the election, once a bipartisan coalition built in the House carries it forward. She says the delay came from opposition in Congress and from leadership, including the Speaker’s no vote.

“Sometimes I have to push against our own leadership,” she says.

In her written answers, Hinson says she led the Save Our Bacon Act to protect interstate commerce for livestock producers, a key part of the House-passed Farm Bill. She also cites the Fertilizer Research Act, which she says would bring more price transparency and competition to fertilizer markets. She writes that she is a co-chair of the House Biofuels Caucus and ranked in the top 20% of House members for bipartisanship in the 119th Congress.

Hinson also opposes California’s Proposition 12 and says it raises costs for Iowa farmers. She sharply criticizes her opponent. She says Turek’s proposed 50% corporate tax rate would hit family farms organized as corporations, and that repealing the expanded estate tax exemption would make it harder to pass farms to the next generation. She writes that Turek “voted to label fake meat as real and sell it in schools” and “skipped the vote on the Iowa Farm Bill.”

Asked whether farmers still have a voice in Washington, Hinson says she relies on a farm advisory council in Iowa. “You are my experts,” she says.

Josh Turek (D)

Turek says the pressure on farmers comes from the war in Iran and from tariffs, and he ties both to Hinson’s record. He writes that Hinson voted seven times to continue the war and five times for tariffs.

“Iowa’s farmers and ranchers are uniquely hurting,” Turek writes.

His top priority is passing a Farm Bill, which he writes is three years overdue. He says he would push a provision barring Congress from adjourning until one passes. His Farm Bill priorities include nationwide year-round E15, Right to Repair and mandatory country-of-origin labeling.

On costs, Turek writes that farmers are “crushed by record-high diesel prices” this harvest. He says he has called for tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, pausing diesel exports and temporarily suspending the federal gas tax, and for ending the war.
He also wants to end the tariffs, which he says may have hurt Iowa more than any other state because of the soybean market. “Our farmers don’t want handouts – they want markets,” he writes.

Turek’s second priority is competition. He writes that monopolies and vertical integration make it harder for small family farms to compete, and that century farms worry about losing their land as costs rise.

He describes a recent visit to a corn and soybean farm in Colfax, where he says a registered Republican who voted for Donald Trump in the past is now supporting him. He says the farmer took him up in the combine and described how tariffs and fuel prices are squeezing the operation.

On bipartisanship, Turek writes that he has voted with Republicans more than 700 times in the Iowa Legislature and helped pass a bipartisan Right to Repair bill through the Iowa House last session.

“Farmers across Iowa are telling me the same thing: Washington has failed them and they are ready for change,” he writes.

Ernst’s Ag Record: Five Moves That Defined Her Tenure

2026 farm bill vote. In mid-September, Ernst voted with Republicans to advance the Agriculture Act of 2026 out of the Senate Ag Committee on a 12-11 party-line vote. The bill includes year-round E15. “Today’s vote moves the Farm Bill process forward,” she said, adding that more bipartisan support is needed to pass a five-year bill.
Prop 12 push. At that markup, Ernst tried to add language barring state and local governments from regulating agricultural production methods, a fix aimed at California’s Proposition 12. Chairman John Boozman refused, saying he had closed the bill to amendments. Sen. John Hoeven urged her to raise it when the full Senate takes up the bill. Ernst has called for “a long-term solution to Proposition 12.”
Biofuels and the 2025 tax law. Ernst’s office says she helped introduce the Farmer First Fuel Incentives Act and got it into the One Big Beautiful Bill. Her office says it extended the 45Z clean fuel credit and prioritized domestic feedstocks. DTN reports the law extended 45Z through 2029 and limits it to U.S., Canadian and Mexican feedstocks. The law also raised PLC and ARC reference prices.
Record biofuel blending levels. In March, Ernst joined President Donald Trump at a White House event as EPA finalized record 2026-27 renewable fuel volume requirements. She said she was “thrilled to have helped deliver the highest levels of biofuel blends for our nation’s fuel supply” and called for Congress to pass permanent, year-round E15.
2018 farm bill. Ernst was one of nine senators named to the conference committee for the 2018 farm bill. Four of her bipartisan bills were in the Senate version: an ARC-County fix with then-Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.; the GROW Act on conservation programs; the Regional Conservation Partnership Program Improvement Act with Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; and the FARMERS FIRST Act on farmer mental health with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.