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.  
 
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