Mary Kay Thatcher: Rural America Needs Bipartisan Representation

Mary Kay Thatcher of Syngenta, who was a long-time policy expert at the American Farm Bureau Federation, said last week, "we don't have very many democrats in the rural areas." Prior to last week’s election, only nine Democrats, held rural seats in the House. Thatcher added, "We should be thankful we are not writing a farm bill this year."

There will be new leadership in three of the top four Congressional positions for agriculture. With the defeat of House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson, Thatcher says of the new leadership, "They probably just can't be as effective right away." Thatcher said agriculture needs a bipartisan representation, adding, "we've always been bipartisan, we need to be bipartisan, and we need Democrats and Republicans both that are willing to go to leadership and say this is important."

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