Senate Ag Farm Bill Released

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D, MI: “The farm bill has always been the place where we put the power of the federal government at work in a bipartisan way to support farmers and families and communities. That is the coalition that has always been the foundation of a successful bipartisan farm bill.”

This week, the Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee released the text of her draft Farm Bill for consideration by the Senate Agriculture Committee in the lame duck session.

Observers of the Farm Bill drafting process believe the Senate version of the Farm Bill will be too difficult to reconcile with the House Agriculture Committee’s version with only 12 working days remaining in the 118th Congress. 

The House Ag Committee passed its version of the Farm Bill in May, but it was never brought to the House floor for a vote. The Farm Bill expired on September 30, and more than 30 programs are suspended until Congress passes a new bill or another extension. 

Sen. Charles Grassley, R, IA: “The farm bill must be worked out in a bipartisan way and negotiated in committee, according to what we call regular order. It's clear there isn't enough time to do that before this year is up. So I expect Congress to pass another short term extension to carry farmers through the new year.”

Among the differences in the two versions of the Farm Bill are the amount of increase in payments for the farm safety net, a push to link SNAP benefits to inflation, and limits to the Secretary’s Section 5 authority over the Commodity Credit Corporation.

The National Pork Producers Council were disappointed in the Stabenow text leaving out the language to limit or overturn Prop 12.

Congress returns to work on December 3rd. 

A Republican trifecta will take effect in Washington, D.C. in January.

For Market to Market, I’m Peter Tubbs