Agribusinesses with deep pockets have poured record sums of money into lobbying and election campaigns over the past few years as lawmakers debate the farm bill and other policies that shape the way food is grown in the U.S.
Entities related to big names like Tyson Foods and Deere & Co. have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to political campaigns or partisan groups, OpenSecrets data shows, with the majority of donations going toward Republicans. Affiliates with Tyson Foods, for example, spent $886,000 on the current election cycle as of June 30, which is already around 80% of what it spent on the 2020 election.
While companies themselves cannot contribute to campaigns, donations from PACs, employees and family members give an indication of the industry’s political priorities. Agribusiness spending on campaigns reached $124 million in the 2023-2024 election cycle, with data not yet available for donations made after June 30.
Chicken producer Montaire Farms was the largest contributor this campaign cycle, with affiliates spending more than $12 million on candidates and partisan groups. Other top spenders include Wonderful Co., one of the largest agricultural companies in the world, and Tyson Foods.
Agriculture a major force in election politics
Agribusiness campaign contributions by election year
The trend of accelerated spending is expected to continue in 2024. The current election cycle is on track to be the costliest in history in nominal dollars, according to Open Secrets, though overall spending is down compared to 2020 when adjusted for inflation.
Higher campaign spending also comes as agribusinesses spend more on lobbying for issues including the farm bill. A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that lobbying spending increased 22% from 2019 to 2023, with the majority of money spent in 2023.
Dr. Omanjana Goswami, one of the main authors of the report, said in emailed comments to Mekong Farmer that the staggering amount of money in politics underscores a “pay-to-play” system where large donations influence policy decisions and discussion.
“People and organizations working to make our food and farm system fairer and more sustainable don’t have the resources or influence to compete with Big Agribusiness and industry groups, and they shouldn’t have to,” Goswami said.
Buying ‘a foot in the door’
Campaign contributions are an important part of retaining access to influential lawmakers, with donations commonly seen as a way of “buying access,” said Ben Lilliston, director of rural strategies and climate change at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.
“There’s no doubt that donations get you a foot in the door,” Lilliston said. “I’ll get you the meeting for sure, and it’ll make sure that your perspective is heard and taken seriously.”
Following the money
Top agribusiness contributors in the 2024 election cycle
However, campaign spending does not always necessarily translate into political influence, according to Clare Brock, an assistant professor at Colorado State University and author of the book “Farmed Out: Agricultural Lobbying in a Polarized Congress.” Rather than focus on election politics, many companies choose to spend money on lobbyists to pass specific legislation.
The overlap between groups who both lobby and make PAC contributions was only between 10% and 12% from 1998 to 2018, according to upcoming research from Brock along with researchers Alexander Furnas of the University of Michigan and Tim LaPira of James Madison University. That convergence has only decreased over the years, according to the unpublished study.
“The very top groups, like the most politically active groups, are going to be doing both donating and lobbying,” Brock said. “But for a lot of groups, they’re just going to have a strategy of lobbying for specific provisions or policies.”
Part of the reason spending has increased may be due to the considerably lengthened time it takes to pass legislation like the farm bill, Brock said. With Congress becoming more polarized, lobbying has become more expensive: Agribusinesses spent a record $178 million in lobbying for 2023, according to Open Secrets data, with more than 1,300 lobbyists representing the sector.
Agriculture spends big to cultivate influence
Annual agribusiness expenditures on lobbying
“If the farm bill for example was passing on time, then you would know exactly when to start and end lobbying,” Brock said. “But increasingly, this process just stretches on, extension after extension after extension, which means you need to keep paying a lobbyist.”
The need for deep pockets has made it difficult for smaller groups to make an influence, said Lilliston of the IATP, which advocates for sustainable farm and trade policy on the federal and state level. Often, groups outside the industry struggle to get traction on their policies unless there’s enough of a grassroots movement to “overwhelm that money.”
“Reforms that you think are needed, you can’t even get it on the agenda,” Lilliston said. “It’s hard to go up against [Big Ag] unless you are really well organized.”