Cultivating Control

Between 2019 and 2023, agribusiness interests spent over $523 million lobbying on the US food and farm bill, with spending peaking in 2023. The report highlights the role of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) in opposing climate action and environmental regulations while advocating for commodity subsidies. It recommends that Congress prioritize small and marginalized farmers and strengthen antitrust enforcement to curb corporate power.

• Between 2019 and 2023, giant agribusinesses, industry associations, and other interest groups reported more than $523 million in federal lobbying expenditures on disclosure reports that specifically listed the "farm bill."
• Lobbying activity increased significantly in 2023 as the previous food and farm bill neared expiration, with that single year accounting for over 60% of the total five-year spending.
• The US Chamber of Commerce was the largest spender among entities reporting lobbying on the food and farm bill from 2019 to 2023, followed by other major entities such as the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and Bayer Corporation.
• Agribusiness-linked political donors contributed an additional $3.4 million between 2019 and 2023 to the campaigns of key legislators responsible for the farm bill, including Rep. Glenn “G. T.” Thompson, Rep. David Scott, and Sen. John Boozman.
• The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) advocates for the continuation of taxpayer subsidies for Title I commodities (such as corn, wheat, and soybeans), which totaled $29 billion from 2017 to 2022, despite rising commodity prices.
• The AFBF has actively worked to block environmental regulations and climate transparency, including opposing the protection of wetlands in the Sackett v. EPA case and lobbying to weaken SEC requirements for public corporations to disclose climate emissions.

APA

Goswami, O., & Stillerman, K. P. (2024). Cultivating Control. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Cultivating%20Control_white%20paper%20final_May%2010_OG_PDF.pdf

Chicago

Goswami, Omanjana, and Karen Perry Stillerman. Cultivating Control. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2024. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Cultivating%20Control_white%20paper%20final_May%2010_OG_PDF.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goswami |first1=Omanjana |last2=Stillerman |first2=Karen Perry |title=Cultivating Control |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=May 2024 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Cultivating%20Control_white%20paper%20final_May%2010_OG_PDF.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goswami2024cultivating, author = {Goswami, Omanjana and Stillerman, Karen Perry}, title = {{Cultivating Control}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2024}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Cultivating%20Control_white%20paper%20final_May%2010_OG_PDF.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }