Source: POLITIOC'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 3/11/19

Ocasio-Cortez's February rollout of the Green New Deal was met with anger and disappointment in agriculture circles, even among some ag progressives. Now, allies of the congresswoman have started to reach out to agriculture experts in what's been seen by some as the first sign that AOC-land might engage rural interests, Pro Ag's Helena Bottemiller Evich reports this morning.

An olive branch? Frank Mitloehner, a leading scientist on agricultural emissions at the University of California, Davis, was thrilled when two outreach staff affiliated with AOC's network reached out to set up a call earlier this month to discuss the potential for climate mitigation efforts in agriculture.

"I was very glad to inform of what I know, and they were very receptive to it," Mitloehner said onAgri-Talk last week. During the segment, he urged agricultural producers to not dismiss the left-wing climate effort.

'Farting cows' flub: AOC's rollout of the nonbinding Green New Deal plan was hobbled by the fact her office posted a fact sheet that referenced the need to eliminate "farting cows." For livestock producers, that was a threat. The misinformed talking point was soon dropped, but it had already spread like wildfire.

Group to watch: New Consensus. The outreach to Mitloehner did not come directly from Ocasio-Cortez's office, but from people involved with an outside effort to promote the Green New Deal: Two staffers associated with New Consensus, a nonprofit that was reportedly a policy spinoffof the Justice Democrats, a political action committee that assails corporate influence in Democratic politics.

Issue to watch: Anaerobic digesters. New Consensus was especially interested in how anaerobic digesters are being used to convert waste to renewable energy.