In just a few days, Americans will go to the polls to cast votes in the 2010 election. Judging by most reports, many voters will be going in very bad moods.

While the economists say the recession is over, for a large number of Americans, the economy is not in good shape. Unemployment has not fallen significantly; home sales are flat; and salaries are being cut, while prices are on the rise and taxes are about to increase. In addition, as details of the healthcare reform bill become known, opposition is growing.

The political polarization that has characterized the Congress for the past two years has turned voters into cynics, and has created a “throw the bums out” attitude among many. As a result, the expectations are that incumbents may be in for a rough ride this Election Day.

If this turns out to be the case, there will be many new faces on Capitol Hill next January - new faces with new ideas about issues important to agriculture, such as trade, the environment and farm programs. What happens this November could set the course for American agriculture for the next decade.

There have already been several hearings hosted by both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees on the 2012 Farm Bill. But it looks like those hearings were a total waste of time, since it is likely that many of the lawmakers who held those hearings will not be around next year.

Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Blanch Lincoln is in a tight race, and many do not expect her to survive. In addition, is possible that the Democrats could lose control of the Senate, thus returning ag leadership to Saxby Chambliss.

The drama on election night will be in the House. It is being forecast, by people who make a living by doing such things, that Republicans could pick up between 36 and 90 seats. Whatever the number turns out to be, it is safe to say there will be a power shift in the House. This will change not only the dynamics of legislation but the time table for dealing with key issues. The party affiliation, geographic representation and personalities of the new members will likely change the direction of U.S. farm policy.

In a recent interview with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), a man who has seen many changes in Washington, D.C. during his years on the Hill, said the 2012 Farm Bill may be a radical departure from farm policies of the past.

Lugar pointed out that for the past 60 years southern agriculture, notably the cotton and sugar sectors, have maintained an iron grip on U.S. farm policy. The subsidy and quota programs that are at the bedrock of U.S. farm policy were designed to protect these commodities. The South has historically had considerable political clout on the ag committees which protected these programs for decades.

Lugar said the combination of new faces in Congress, mounting federal deficits, and an administration with some much different ideas about agriculture, will finally lead to the elimination of many of these programs.

However, this policy earthquake will also send shock waves through all of agriculture.

Lugar believes that all support and quota programs will come under scrutiny. He also noted that USDA has made it clear that rural development, nutrition and local food and farmers markets are a higher priority than traditional commodity programs.

All this comes at a time when U.S. agriculture is enjoying some profitable years. This will make it even harder to discuss the need for a safety net with corn prices at $6 and soybeans at $12.