With Pat Roberts retiring next year, it’s not just a race to see who replaces the Kansas Republican in the Senate, but also who will succeed him as chairman of the Senate Ag Committee. Roberts recently told the National Journal he expects John Boozman of Arkansas to take the reins, and that he would be an excellent committee chair. Boozman isn’t the most senior member of the Ag Committee. However, more long-standing members have other responsibilities, most significantly Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In an interview, Boozman says as chair, he would focus on the farm bill and promoting bipartisan cooperation. He’s also planning to take up child-nutrition legislation if the push by Roberts to get it passed falls short of a December deadline. Boozman was first elected to the Senate in 2010 by unseating Blanche Lincoln, who at the time was the committee chair.