Those who make their living from the land made no secret of their preference during the last election: George W. Bush received $2.6 million in campaign contributions from the agriculture industry, 10 times more than Al Gore collected from farming and timber interests. Galen Weaber (No. 381), president and CEO of Pennsylvania's largest lumber mill, gave $157,750 to support Republican candidates. "I want to protect a way of life that is fast disappearing," he explained to reporters. "The way government is coming down with all these regulations, the way bureaucracy is going, is unbelievable. If I had to start up now, I couldn't do it."

Weaber's contributions quickly paid off for his hardwood manufacturing plant and its "ongoing commitment to growth." In one of his first announcements, President Bush promised to stall a last-minute "roadless initiative" enacted during the final days of the Clinton administration. The plan restricts the timber industry from building roads and removing trees in 58.5 million acres of forestland, preserving habitats for more than 220 threatened species. Politicans backed by the industry blasted the initiative: Senator Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), who received almost $300,000 in agribusiness contributions over the past two years, said the roadless plan threatened jobs and the economy.

At least one other member of the Mother Jones 400 also stands to benefit from Bush's pro-timber stance. Marylou Whitney (No. 176, $266,000) owns Whitney Industries, which manages thousands of acres of land in New York's Adirondacks. Bernard Bergreen (No. 71), the former CEO of Gilman Paper, donated his $404,000 to the Democrats.

When it comes to the environment, Bush has proved he is willing to cross party lines -- to the right. By appointing Gale Norton, a former Libertarian, as Interior Secretary, Bush placed millions of acres of public land in the hands of someone who believes in letting industry police itself. The nomination "is one small step for the Republican Party, but one giant leap for Libertarian-style environmental policies," crowed Steve Dasbach, the party's national director. "Norton is a refreshing change of pace from the typical knee-jerk, anti-capitalism, tree-worshipping environmentalist."

The new administration promises to take an equally laissez-faire approach to the plight of small family farmers, already reeling from a Republican-sponsored law called the Freedom to Farm Act. Passed in 1996, the law eliminated restrictions on what farmers are allowed to produce, making it easier for large corporate farms to monopolize the industry. As a result, the federal government has doled out nearly $71 billion over the past four years to prop up small farms, while large agribusiness operations have extended their control of the market.

During the campaign, Bush told reporters that he supports the farm measure, saying that a market-driven economy, encouraged by increased international trade, will preserve small farms. Republicans are expected to renew the law when it expires in 2002.

Large corporate farms will also benefit from Bush's pledge to eliminate the inheritance tax on estates worth more than $650,000. Since many agribusinesses are controlled by a single family, they wind up paying taxes when the corporation is divided among the heirs. Uprooting the tax is a top priority for the industry: Besides low prices for crops, says the American Farm Bureau Federation, "there is probably no other problem or issue that so concerns farmers and ranchers." Bush, who hails from the second-largest agricultural state in the nation, told the farm federation he will "help farmers overcome everything from bad weather to closed markets." And while he is at it, he added, he will "abolish the pernicious estate tax."