In this episode, I interview Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau, on the potential impact of climate change legislation on agriculture.

Use the audio player below to listen to the conversation and follow along with the show notes. I hope you find the podcast informative.

Show Notes:

00:17 Several hearings have been held this fall about the Kerry-Boxer climate bill that is under consideration in the U.S. Senate. The bill is more than 900 pages long, and one would think that it must cover virtually every issue in the climate debate. According to the American Farm Bureau (AFB), that's not the case.

00:55 The American Farm Bureau has been around for 90 years. Currently, there are 6.2 million member families--there are no individual members, only fam... more »

A recent poll shows that the more Americans learn about climate legislation, the less they like it. Especially when they realize that it will take money out of their pockets.

How much money? About $2,300 per year per average U.S. household, according to the American Farm Bureau. That's nearly $200 a month.

The Farm Bureau calculated this figure by adding the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) estimate of higher energy costs ($1,870 per year) under the Waxman-Markey bill with its own estimate of the legislation's impact on food prices. The total cost: up to $200 billion per year for U.S. consumers, which equates to a 15 percent hike in personal income taxes.

"Can you [imagine] how consumers in this country would scream if they knew they would be hit with a 15 percent hike in their pe... more »