The American Farm Bureau Federation and more than 532 other organizations today called on House leadership to bring the farm bill back to the House floor for a vote as soon as possible. The groups also urged against splitting the nutrition title from the legislation.
In a letter to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), the vast group encompassing agriculture, conservation, nutrition, rural development, finance, forestry, energy and crop insurance organizations and companies said passage of the farm bill (H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013) is vital.
“This important legislation supports our nation’s farmers, ranchers, forest owners, food security, natural resources and wildlife habitats, rural communities, and the 16 million Americans whose jobs directly depend on the agriculture industry,” said the letter.
“Farm bills represent a delicate balance between America’s farm, nutrition, conservation, and other priorities, and accordingly require strong bipartisan support,” continued the letter. “It is vital for the House to try once again to bring together a broad coalition of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to provide certainty for farmers, rural America, the environment and our economy in general and pass a five-year farm bill upon returning in July.”
The groups also stood in united support for keeping the farm bill intact. “We believe that splitting the nutrition title from the rest of the bill could result in neither farm nor nutrition programs passing, and urge you to move a unified farm bill forward.”