Post on 15-Jan-2016
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Nadine Lehrer, Washington State University, February 2, 2009Nadine Lehrer, Washington State University, February 2, 2009
Leveraging Farm Policy History to Leveraging Farm Policy History to Understand Biofuels and Trade Understand Biofuels and Trade Dynamics in the 2008 Farm BillDynamics in the 2008 Farm Bill
Green Lands Blue Waters 2004
Why the farm bill?Why the farm bill?
www.agecon.purdue.edu/farmbill
2005-07: WTO and the farm bill2005-07: WTO and the farm bill
Agrinews 2005, 2006, 2007
2006-2008: Biofuels and the farm 2006-2008: Biofuels and the farm bill bill
Agrinews 2007
Research questions
1. How and why did the 2008 farm bill debates shift from WTO-oriented to biofuels-oriented in such a short period of time?
2. What does this shift mean for farm policy, biofuels policy, and for understanding policy processes in general?
MethodsMethods Document analysisDocument analysis Participant observation at Participant observation at
28 farm bill conferences28 farm bill conferences 56 in-depth informational 56 in-depth informational
interviewsinterviews
Groups interviewedGroups interviewed
Sustainable agriculture groupsSustainable agriculture groupsEnvironmental groupsEnvironmental groupsSocial justice groupsSocial justice groupsFoundationsFoundations
Farmer organizationsFarmer organizationsCommodity groupsCommodity groupsTrade associationsTrade associationsAgribusiness corporationsAgribusiness corporations
Lobbying firmsLobbying firmsLegislative staffLegislative staffAdministrative officesAdministrative offices
What is the farm bill?What is the farm bill?
1930s ag policy rationale1930s ag policy rationale Broadening over timeBroadening over time
Farm policy history
History of incremental changeHistory of incremental change ExceptionsExceptions
– 19331933– 19731973– 19851985– 19961996– CommonalitiesCommonalities
What would history have told us to expect from What would history have told us to expect from 2008?2008?
Policy context in ethanol-driven Policy context in ethanol-driven moment, 2006-08moment, 2006-08
[Biofuels are] important for our national security… good for the economy and the environment.
For rural America, it is the greatest opportunity for new
markets, new investment, new jobs and wealth creation in our
lifetimes.
“This was supposed to be the year that
international trade concerns would shape
the farm bill. They didn’t.
Philip Brasher, Des Moines Register 2007
My sense is the biofuels revolution
that has hit this country is the most profound change in agriculture in 200
years.Boyden Gray, USTR, 2006
“For months, Farm Bureau leaders have said they
preferred an extension of the 2002 farm bill. But… the
AFBF said it had [now] decided to unveil its vision for improving the new farm
law.” – Western Farm Press, June 2007
Tom Dorr, USDA, 2006
A shifting policy windowA shifting policy window
Of 1385 articles on the farm bill:Of 1385 articles on the farm bill:
WTO Biofuels Budget Partisanship
2005 24% 5% 59% 44%
2006 23% 19% 64% 58%
2007 9% 23% 56% 53%
Lexis Nexis, 2008
Why this shift?Why this shift? Suspension of Suspension of
WTO negotiations WTO negotiations July 2006July 2006
Congressional Congressional elections, elections, November 2006November 2006
Rising gas prices, Rising gas prices, increased interest increased interest in ethanolin ethanol
Associated budget Associated budget impactsimpacts
NASS 2008: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/AgriPric/AgriPric-02-29-2008.pdf
NationalismNationalism
Stephen Brooks/News Tribune photo 2006
NCGA, no dateNCGA 2006
Why did this matter for Why did this matter for the farm bill?the farm bill?
Timing (and history)Timing (and history) Resonance of national Resonance of national
security framessecurity frames Environmental and rural Environmental and rural
development framesdevelopment frames Few critiques of biofuelsFew critiques of biofuels Perceived consensus Perceived consensus
among interest groupsamong interest groups The 2007 energy billThe 2007 energy bill
Ed Fischer, Agri News, May 2006
What does it suggest about What does it suggest about the 2008 farm bill?the 2008 farm bill?
A WTO-driven farm bill seemed likely in A WTO-driven farm bill seemed likely in 2005-062005-06
The 2008 farm bill instead reflected a The 2008 farm bill instead reflected a biofuels-driven momentbiofuels-driven moment
This has implications for land use, This has implications for land use,
renewable energy, and farm bill reformrenewable energy, and farm bill reform It can also help us understand It can also help us understand
policy processespolicy processeswww.livingindryden.org
Land use implicationsLand use implications
2007-8 corn acreage increased almost 20%2007-8 corn acreage increased almost 20%
Cellulosic ethanol important,Cellulosic ethanol important,
but uncertain in the but uncertain in the
short-termshort-term
Decline in budget and tradeDecline in budget and trade
as drivers of commodity as drivers of commodity
policy reformpolicy reform
Adriana Telias
Future implications
for farm bill reform efforts for biofuels policies for understanding policy
What have we learned?What have we learned? Incremental change as Incremental change as
a norma norm Biofuels helped Biofuels helped
sidestep commodity sidestep commodity reform debatesreform debates
National security National security discourse as a driverdiscourse as a driver
Mixed bag of Mixed bag of implications for implications for sustainable agriculture sustainable agriculture and rural developmentand rural development
Many thanks!Many thanks!
Rachel Schurman, Dennis Becker
G. Edward Schuh, Paul Porter, Kristen Nelson
Interview participants
Colleagues, contacts, informants, supporters
NSF GRP, EPA-STAR, University of Minnesota MacArthur Program and Graduate School
Adriana Telias
Questions?Questions?