WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will have a new chairperson when the 117th Congress convenes in January whether the Senate is controlled by the Republicans or the Democrats (there will be two run-off elections in Georgia in January that may decide which party will control the Senate).

Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, the current chairman of the Senate agriculture committee, earlier announced he would retire at the end of this year and did not stand for reelection. His Senate seat was won by Representative Roger Marshall.

Republicans hold 11 seats in the current agriculture committee. Four Republican members sought reelection in 2020. The remainder were not up for reelection this cycle. Winning reelection to the Senate were Mitch McConnel of Kentucky, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Cindy Hyde Smith of Mississippi. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia will be a candidate in one of the two runoff elections in her state in January.

Republican members of the committee who did not have to stand for reelection in 2020 included John Boozman of Arkansas, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Mike Braun of Indiana, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Thune of South Dakota and Deb Fischer of Nebraska.

Two of nine Democratic committee members sought and won reelection, including Tina Smith of Minnesota and Richard Durbin of Illinois.

Seven Democrats on the committee were midterm and did not have to stand for reelection in this cycle. They included Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, ranking member and former chairwoman of the committee, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, also a former chairman of the agriculture committee, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Michael F. Bennet of Colorado and Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York.