One key congressional race this week signals some major change ahead on the farm policy front moving forward. Minnesota 7th District Congressman Collin Peterson, a 30-year veteran of the House of Representatives, was defeated by his Republican challenger, former Lieutenant Governor Michelle Fischbach. Peterson was the chairman of the House Ag Committee, and his replacement in that position — as well as the replacement chosen for retiring Kansas Senator Pat Roberts, Senate Ag Committee Chairman — will have a lot to do with how farm policy is crafted at the committee and chamber level as future farm bills are crafted. Deliberation will likely begin for the next farm bill sometime in 2021 or in early 2022, and in the meantime, ag lawmakers and stakeholders will be faced with integrating new leadership to both leadership roles and providing the education necessary to make them effective in those new roles. Right now, Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan is likely to lead the Senate Ag Committee, as she has previous experience in that role. Rep. David Scott of Georgia and Jim Costa of California are likely candidates for the leadership role in the Democrat-controlled House, while Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania tops the list of candidates for the minority Republican role on the committee. See more about the ag policy changes ahead.