Ho hum. No mention of agriculture, again

Suprise, surprise! Barack Obama and the Democrats made no significant mention of agriculture, farming or ranching from the podium at the Democratic National Convention. Actually, there probably won't be any mention at the GOP fest in Minneapolis next week either.

The farm vote pales into obscurity, once the Iowa caucuses are over each election year. This one has proven to be no different. The only hope we'd have is if they ran out of food, and the delegates were hungry. Perhaps then we wouldn't be ignored.

Admittedly, the power of the farm vote to swing the election is miniscule. Maybe in a few minor western and plains states, the farm vote could be significant. But they're not competitve, and McCain will carry them hands down.

There's enough urban votes in big farm states like Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, and North Carolina that agriculture doesn't come into play in determining the electoral outcome.

But if we suddenly had a famine, a food shortage, starvation in the land. . .

American agriculture is too productive, too efficient and does its job too quietly and too well. As the old saw says "It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease."