You need information, especially when it comes to one of the most important pieces of legislation this Congress will consider: the Farm Bill. That’s why our friends at Farm Foundation, NFP and the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP), have put together a series of essays by thought leaders in ag and rural America called Perspectives on the …
Vilsack Questions House Farm Bill
At the Iowa Farm Bureau 2013 Economic Summit on Monday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack expressed some skepticism about the farm-only farm bill passed by the House. “I’m not sure that what they’ve done up to this point is real or for show,” Vilsack told reporters after addressing the summit. He also wonders why the House leadership is delaying work on …
Texas Congressman at Peanut Conference
Congressman Mike Conaway (R-TX) provided an update on the farm bill at the 2013 Southern Peanut Growers Conference on Saturday. Rep. Conaway, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, says the House still intends to get a nutrition bill passed. “We’ll have a nutrition title and it will have reforms in it…probably stronger reforms than what we had in the …
Fate of Catfish Program in Farm Bill Conference
The House farm-only version of the farm bill includes repeal of USDA catfish inspection program but the Senate bill does not and those who are in favor of getting rid of the program are hoping it will survive the conference committee. “Its fate now lies with the Farm Bill conferees who will have to decide if they support American farmers …
Farm Bill Expected to Go to Senate Today
News out of Washington this morning is that the House will send its farm-only version of the farm bill over to the Senate today to begin the conference process. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) held a conference call with reporters on Monday urging the House to take that action before time runs out. “We’ve got only six legislative …
Groups Discouraged With Passage of Partisan Farm Bill
Agricultural groups are discouraged with the passage today of the U.S. House of Representatives’ H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (FARRM). The bill slid through with a tight margin of 216 to 208 after more than six hours of debate today and did not include food stamp authorization or nutrition programs, which the House …
House Republican Talks Farm Bill & Budget
Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) is a member of both the House Agriculture Committee and the House Committee on the Budget, plus she’s a farmer, so her perspective on what’s happening right now to try and get a farm bill passed is important to hear. You may recall that we spoke with her just about one month ago, before the bill …
Farm Bill Split Could Happen
Momentum seems to be building for a vote in the House on a farm only farm bill – but only if the votes are there. During a town hall meeting in Oklahoma over the July 4th recess, House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas indicated that he expected leadership to split the bill but he would rather not see that happen. …
Groups Call on House for Farm Bill Now
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, …
New Efforts for House Farm Bill
House Democrats have officially introduced the Senate version of the farm bill as Republicans continue to mull their options. Democrat representatives Dave Loebsack and Bruce Braley of Iowa, together with freshman Cheri Bustos of Illinois introduced HR 2498 with the exact text as the Senate Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 which passed earlier this month on a …