House Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson tells Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report that he’s optimistic that the fiscal 2017 government spending package will include changes to the cotton and dairy policies in the new Farm Bill. He says those potential changes would provide more financial assistance to farmers. The Minnesota Democrat says he and other committee members have been talking with congressional appropriators for some time. Adjustments to the programs in the 2014 farm bill through the appropriations process now mean a Congressional Budget Office score of the 10-year price tag of the law will increase. That means lawmakers will have more funds to work with while they put together the 2018 farm bill. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition believes there’s another good reason for the deal to get done. Republicans that represent cotton states like Mississippi and Texas likely will find willing partners in Democrats that represent the biggest dairy states, including California, Wisconsin, and Vermont. Those willing partners likely include Senate Appropriations Chair Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican, and Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, the panel’s vice chairman.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.
Share this Post