Some ag groups are lashing out about the farm bill extension passed earlier this week by congress. That extension could have a negative effect on some California farmers. Sabrina Hill reports.
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The National Farmers Union is disappointed with the farm bill extension. In a statement, NFU president Roger Johnson says quote “Once again, Congress has left rural America out in the cold. An extension represents a short sighted, temporary fix that ultimately provides inadequate solutions that will leave our farmers and ranchers crippled by uncertainty.”
He points to disaster aid for farmers that was left out. Several California counties were recently declared disaster areas due to drought. The lack of disaster aid could now affect their ability to get help from those programs.
Meanwhile, The National Milk Producers Federation released a statement calling the farm bill extension a devastating blow to the nation’s dairy farmers. While the nine-month extension of the current farm policy did prevent the so-called “dairy cliff”, it does not include the Dairy Security Act, which was included in the proposed Farm Bill passed by the senate in 2012.
The statement by National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jerry Kozak calls the extension –quote – a little more than a New Year’s Day, hair-of-the-dog stab at temporarily putting off decisions that should have been made in 2012 about how to move farm policy forward, not offer more of the same. Kozak goes on to say that “despite the progress made in 2012, we’re starting off 2013 on a bad note.”
For the National Farmers Union statement, click here.
For the National Milk Producers Federation, click here.