During the Iowa State Fair, Senator Chuck Grassley told IARN about the optimism he had for getting the Farm Bill done by the September 30th deadline. Senator Ernst didn’t share his optimism and was looking for an extension of the current legislation, with the hopes of completing it before the end of the year.
As we are only 18 days away from the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress is running out of time to do either. Though as the time crunch gets tighter, extension is looking more obvious. As long as the deadline hasn’t been met, there are organizations making their last pitches to the Ag Committees and the Congress about things that are going to be needed in the new Farm Bill.
National Corn Growers Association President Tom Haag has been reiterating the need to leave crop insurance programs alone. They are often a target of non-ag legislators as a way to cut costs, without fully understanding their reason.
President Haag says they have not waivered on their message from day one.
Ag groups are also telling Congress that they need to get it right for America’s Farmers. National Farmers Union President Rob Larew says the deadline is not a reason to just run any old poece of legislation through.
Larew adds that we can’t know what the future will hold until 2028, but we can make a 2023 Bill that is resilient and anticipates any contingency.
NFU would like to see a permanent competition title in the Farm Bill that allows for price discovery in the cattle markets. They also are asking for a permanent disaster program to eliminate delays.
