The House already has a Peanut Caucus, a Cranberry Caucus and a Compost Caucus. The Biofuels Caucus and the Agricultural Research Caucus have deep roots at the Capitol, too.
So why is Rep. Adrian Smith, a Republican from a farming district in Nebraska, looking to add another — the Modern Agriculture Caucus?
Smith says that even accounting for the wide landscape other caucuses cover, certain aspects of agriculture need closer attention — and maybe a breath of bipartisanship.
Those could include everything from responsible pesticide use, to biotechnology, to making the money the government spends on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program go further, said Smith, who’s already led a caucus that promotes another agriculture priority — biofuels.
