Debbie Stabenow - officially announced Nov. 19 ahead of January assignment

from OBAMA Food-o-rama blog here at Google Blogger --   Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow (D) will chair the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry for the 112th Congress, it was announced Friday. She picks up the gavel when lawmakers return to session in January, 2011, and is only the second woman to ever serve as chair.  Stabenow is taking over because current chair Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark) was defeated in the Nov. 2 midterm elections.
Stabenow is touting her new position as a big win for the state of Michigan, which has a diverse agriculture economy with about $71.3 billion in activity annually, and about a quarter of the workforce employed in the agricultural sector. Senate Ag is critically involved with child nutrition issues and federal feeding programs; Lincoln wrote the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act 2010, the $4.5 billion reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which passed by unanimous consent in August (the House has not yet taken up its version of the bill). The committee also deals with all other agriculture and conservation legislation.
As lawmakers head for potentially contentious debates over the 2012 Farm Bill, Stabenow will be dealing with major issues.   “I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as we begin writing a new farm bill that once again recognizes the importance of America’s agricultural economy and rural communities," Stabenow said in a statement about her new position, issued on Friday.
Stabenow has been a staunch advocate for what the USDA terms "specialty crops," otherwise known as fruits and vegetables, and she is well schooled on all ag issues, from meat through grains. She has a strong interest in biofuels, something that's being promoted by the Obama administration both for alternative energy and boosting the economy.  "Not only does agriculture create jobs and feed our families across America, but it is also helping us develop new fuels and energy sources," Stabenow said.
Past experience: Stabenow served on the Agriculture committees in the Michigan legislature, and in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was instrumental in achieving the addition of a new fruit and vegetable title to the Act.