Senate Committee Approves Farm Bill

Taylor Hillman Cattle, Citrus, Cotton, Field & Row Crops, Forage Crops, General, Specialty Crops, Tree, nut & vine crops

The Senate Ag Committee has approved a bipartisan five-year farm bill with a 15 – 5 vote in favor of the bill.

In a statement, Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, says while the federation recognizes that no farm bill is perfect and there is always room for improvement, it is pleased that the Senate held firm to its intention of limiting cuts to $23 billion.

“We also believe that the bipartisan compromise to oppose means testing, payment limitations or premium subsidy reductions for the crop insurance program and to formalize a tie between crop insurance and conservation compliance helped set the tone of cooperation for this bill moving forward,” Stallman’s statement continues. “Overall, this bill meets our firm position that the farm bill be bipartisan in nature, reform-minded in structure and crafted around a broad, flexible, crop insurance-based program that provides our farmers certainty and extends much-needed risk management tools across more acres and more crops.”

Tuesday’s Senate markup comes just one day before the House markup.