United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

The Committee of Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of all matters relating to the nation's agriculture industry, farming programs, forestry and logging, and legislation relating to nutrition and health.^[1]

History

Founded in 1825 the Committee was formed at the request of Senator William Findlay from Pennsylvania. Arguing that agriculture was as important to national progress as commerce and manufacturing, Findlay succeeded in persuading the full Senate to divide the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures into two separate committees. The Committee on Agriculture was formed by resolution on December 9, 1825.^[2]

During the first four decades of the existence of this committee, the need for it was repeatedly called into question. At that time in America, nearly ²⁄₃ of the population was directly engaged in agriculture.^[3] As such, issues related to agriculture overlapped with areas covered by other committees and were often referred to those committees instead of the Agriculture Committee.^[4]

Following a debate over the necessity of various committees to have need of the services of a dedicated clerk, a Special Committee was formed to investigate ways to "reduce the number and increase the efficiency of the committees."^[5] On February 17, 1857, the Special Committee submitted a plan of reorganization for the committees that did not include the Agriculture Committee. During a special session of the Senate, on March 5, 1857, the Senate approved the Special Committees recommendations and the Committee on Agriculture was dissolved.^[6]

In 1862, the country was embroiled in the

• Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
• The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 1825 – 1998 (including Committee membership lists),
• gpo.gov Committee reports, 106th Congress-present
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission
• Farm Credit Administration
• Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee member profiles collected news and commentary at The Washington Post

External links

1. ^ "Committee Jurisdiction". The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 1825–1998. Retrieved October 14, 2005. 
2. ^ Register of Debates in Congress, December 9, 1825, p. 5
3. ^ Register of Debates in Congress, December 9, 1825, p. 6
4. ^ "Chapter 1: The Committee is Created: 1825–1857". The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 1825–1998. Retrieved October 14, 2005. 
5. ^ Congressional Globe, December 23, 1856, pp. 182–184.
6. ^ Journal of the Senate, March 5, 1857, p. 386.
7. ^ Daniel J. Boorstin (1973), The Americans: The Democratic Experience p. 119, New York: Vintage Press.
8. ^ U.S. Senate (1976). Temporary Select Committee to Study the Senate Committee System, p. 15. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
9. ^ "Chapter 7: Borrowing and Credit: 1970–1979". The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 1825–1998. Retrieved October 14, 2005. 
10. ^ "Appendix I: Chairmen of the Committee On Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, 1825 – 1997". The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 1825–1998. Retrieved October 14, 2005. 

References

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, 1977–present

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, 1884–1977

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, 1863–1884

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, 1829–1857

The committee, under its various names, has been chaired by the following senators:^[10]

Chairmen

Source: Committee Membership List: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (United States Senate, as of July 2013)

Source:

Members, 113th Congress

It became the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry in 1884, a reflection of the growing importance of forests to the country's needs.^[8] It was renamed again to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry in 1977. Nutrition was added to the name after the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 directed the Department of Agriculture to "conduct more human nutrition research, establish a national nutrition education program and develop a system to monitor America's nutritional status".^[9]

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