Election Effects Explored
October 29, 2008 Even though agriculture hasn’t been a key topic on the presidential campaign trail, rest assured that the industry is very interested in the results.
• No-Till Farmers Leaning Toward McCain
By more than 2-to-1 margin, no-till farmers think Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) should be President of the United States rather than Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), a just-concluded, month-long poll conducted by No-Till Farmer suggests.
In the poll, McCain captured 68 percent of the votes vs. just 29 percent for Obama. Votes for a third-party candidate came in at 3 percent. The poll was conducted online at www.no-tillfarmer.com.
“The choice of a Republican is not surprising based on polling from the National No-Tillage Conference last January after the Iowa caucuses. At that time, Republicans outpolled the Democratic candidates by a 4-to-1 margin,” says Darrell Bruggink, No-Till Farmer managing editor. “However, it appears based on the recent polling that the Democratic nominee has pulled a few votes away from the Republican candidate.”
(Source: No-Till Farmer)
• Farm Subsidies, Ethanol Production At Stake
A U.S. farm lobby group says the Democrats presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), has empathy for traditional agriculture, unlike his Republican rival, John McCain (R-AZ),” ABC News in Australia says.
“If Sen. Obama is elected in November, farmers in the U.S. could be assured of farm subsidies, but if the ballot goes Sen. McCain’s way, ethanol producers will get nervous,” reports ABC News. “Farming hasn’t topped the policy list in the election, and some farmers are relying on party philosophy to guide their vote.
“Jack King, from the California Farm Bureau Federation, says both candidates come from farming areas,” reports ABC. “He says: ‘I think Sen. Obama has more the taste of the traditional attitudes of agriculture — smaller farms, government involvement in farms and related items — whereas I think Sen. McCain is more for less government involvement in farming.’ Barack Obama has voiced support for the ethanol sector and supports mandates, while John McCain has made it clear he doesn’t like farmers competing in the fuels market.”
(Source: ABC News)
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