USA Rice Daily reports that House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, Republican of Oklahoma, has affirmed in a written statement that direct payments would remain for the 2013 crop year under the recent extension of the 2008 Farm Bill.  According to the release:

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) yesterday assured farmers in a statement that “the existing safety net was extended a year to provide the certainty producers need for the 2013 crop year. This is the law of the land.” Informa Economics reported the statement, which also called for an end to “the guessing game about farm policy for the 2013 crop year, especially with respect to direct payments.”

In addition, the Chairman’s statement indicates that “I fully expect sign-up for the 2013 crop year — including direct payments — to begin as soon as possible. . . .”  The statement is available here.

For an excellent resource relevant to the current extension of the 2008 Farm Bill, see Expiration and Possible Extension of the 2008 Farm Bill (Cong. Res. Serv. November 1, 2012).  Although the article was written prior to enactment of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, it remains very instructive in assessing the parameters of the current Farm Bill extension.