Posted October 7, 2013
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced five
Republican and seven Democratic Senators to serve as conferees with the U.S. House
of Representatives, pushing the farm bill forward, according to a Farm Futures article
available here.
The conferees are: Sens. Pat Roberts (R-KS), John
Boozman (R-AR), John Hoeven (R-ND), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Saxby Chambliss
(R-GA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Max Baucus (D-MT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Amy
Klobuchar (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Debbie Stabenow (D. MI) and Patrick
Leahy (D-VT).
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry said in a press
release, “I’m please that the Senate has once again agreed to go to conference
with the House on the Farm Bill and has Re-appointed conferees…The Senate has
twice passed a comprehensive, bipartisan Farm Bill that will create jobs,
reform agricultural policy and reduce the deficit by tens of billions of
dollars. It’s time to finally get this
done.”
Congress has faced criticism from farm groups over the
lengthy process of the farm bill reauthorization.
Danny Murphy, President of
the American Soybean Association, said, “Frankly, we’ve run out of ways to say
we’re disappointed.” Murphy expressed
concern that without a new law, programs like the Conservation Reserve Program,
Market Access Program, Foreign Market Development Program, and the Food for
Peace food aid program will be at stake.
Bob Stallman, President of
the American Farm Bureau Federation, said, “Farm Bureau members are deeply
concerned over the political challenges that are making it next to impossible
for Congress to reach a compromise on important legislation.” He continued, “Both the House and Senate
versions of the farm bill would provide significant savings that could be
applied toward reducing the federal debt.”
Industry groups are
concerned about the consequences if a farm bill is not reauthorized before the
end of the year. Colin Woodall, Vice
President of Government Affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Association, said
that Congress has approximately three months to work out a compromise for the
farm bill before the real effects start to hit home.
For more information on farm bills, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center's website here.
For more information on farm bills, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center's website here.
