Democratic lean

Within an hour or so, the House of Representatives will finish a "votarama" on amendments and then pass the 2007 farm bill. It will be a big day of celebration for the fresh produce industry, with nearly $2 billion in mandatory funding for specialty crop priorities over five years.

While the farm bill is traditionally a bipartisan effort, this year's voting will be dominated in the "yea" column by Democrats. Republicans, including Rep. Bob Goodlatte, have said they can't vote for the bill because of a tax provision on foreign companies doing business in the U.S. One lobbyist said perhaps 10 to 12 Republicans - that is all - may peel off and vote for the farm bill. The final vote will be deceiving, since many more Republicans would have voted for the farm bill if the tax provision had been excluded. The House Agriculture Committee developed their farm bill in a bipartisan manner, they just couldn't close the deal.

Still, the confluence of big gains for the specialty crop industry in the farm bill and Democratic control of both chambers of Congress may signal a shift in industry loyalties. Democratic receptiveness to nutrition issues and their willingness to provide mandatory funding for specialty crop block grants buys them considerable goodwill.

Besides the giant contribution from Rep. Dennis Cardoza, the work of Chairman Peterson, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Ag appropriations subcommittee chair Rosa DeLauro all figured positively in the farm bill.

Industry lobbyists - so valuable to the trade in this farm bill debate - will continue to have much work ahead. Working the Senate for similar or better treatment in that chamber's version of the farm bill is obviously front and center.

How Congress deals with food safety issues in the weeks ahead also will be worth watching. Some of the Democrats who played the most helpful roles in securing industry priorities in the farm bill also will advance some of the most aggressive food safety remedies.

The industry will want to tread carefully as the food safety debate advance. Industry leaders don't want to alienate some of their biggest allies on the Democratic side of the aisle. Republicans may prove quite helpful to the industry if they provide moderation and caution when their Democratic colleagues offer over-prescriptive solutions to food safety.