Lighting a Fire Under Last Year’s Farm Bill
With California Ag Today, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.
Having fun getting through the updates from the 2023 Farm Bill? Oh that’s right…it didn’t happen. But May may be when the fire gets lit.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn GT Thompson says "without a doubt," the farm bill will be out of his committee by Memorial Day. Speaking exclusively to Agri-Pulse, The Pennsylvania Republican says he found a way to fund commodity program changes, adding, "it's going to allow us to do what we know needs to be done in terms of safety net issues."
Getting a five-year farm bill across the finish line remains the priority for agriculture, following last years' one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill.
However, lawmakers in the Senate, like Senator Chuck Grassley, are not optimistic. Grassley said to reporters this week, "What they need is a five-year extension, but I'm very pessimistic about there being an agreement in the Senate on a bipartisan farm bill this year." While the House may ultimately pass a bill, Grassley adds, "I don't think you should assume that that's got much to do with what's happening in the United States Senate.”
Provisions on this latest extension will begin to expire on October 1, right before the November election.
