Agricultural organizations are pleased with the election of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) to succeed Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman says they look forward to working with the new speaker. “Speaker Ryan has been a faithful friend of farmers and ranchers in his time in Congress,” said Stallman. “He has supported sensible changes in enforcement of the Endangered Species Act, backed open and fair trade with the rest of the world, fought chronic overreach by the Environmental Protection Agency and has been working to bring needed relief on the tax burden farmers and ranchers face.”

National Corn Growers Association president Chip Bowling is hopeful Ryan will bring more unity to the House. “Speaker Ryan called the House ‘broken’ and urged his colleagues to come together, re-establish order, and find unity and common ground. We hope Congress will heed the advice of their new leader,” said Bowling. “It’s time to get back on the path of doing the people’s business. From reforming our tax code to finding long-term solutions for our nation’s roads and bridges, there is important work to do. We ask Congress to take Speaker Ryan’s words to heart. Let’s wipe the slate clean, put aside partisan differences, and commit to moving our country forward together.”

Ryan is the 54th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the first person from Wisconsin to hold the title. As Speaker, Ryan – who was the Republican nominee for Vice President in 2012, is now third in succession to the presidency.