Congress this week passed a continuing resolution that includes an extension of the 2018 Farm Bill until Sept. 30, 2024. Agriculture groups and companies at the NAFB Convention gave their reactions to the move and what it will mean for negotiations next year.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) praised the government funding package that also extends the Livestock Mandatory Reporting program until January 19, 2024.

NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane says the continuing resolution splits funding packages into two different expiration dates next year, January 19 and February 2. “It give everybody in DC a little bit more of a spread out range of targets,” said Lane. “By and large really good news.”

Mary Kay Thatcher, Syngenta Federal Government and Industry Relations, says Congress is just kicking the can down the road on everything. “On the farm bill, on approps, on not shutting the government down… it’s a real question on whether those things will get done in 2024,” she said.

Thatcher, who has working on many farm bills over the years, says the farm bill extension through next September may make passage even tougher. “The Congressional Budget Office is going to tell us what kind of numbers do we have to work with in the funding of the farm bill… and there’s better than a 50 percent chance there’s less money then we have now.”

2023 NAFB Convention Trade Talk Photos