Last week, the respective Chairpeople of the House & Senate Ag Committees released their visions for a Farm Bill. While House Ag Committee Chairman GT Thompson, a Pennsylvania Republican, released a framework for legislation that he wants to mark up by May 23rd, Senate Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, released her full version of what she wants the bill to look like from the Senate side.
While both sides touted their respective plans and a desire to find compromise to farm broadcasters in Washington for the NAFB Washington Watch event, it is very apparent that there are some glaring differences between the versions that could lead to tough talks and possibly more lines drawn in the sand for food and ag legislation that is almost a year overdue.
Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst sits on the Senate Ag Committee, and we talked with her less than an hour after Senator Stabenow had released the Senate version of the Farm Bill. Senator Ernst has been less than optimistic about the Farm Bill’s chances of getting done even this year. Senator Ernst says that the proposed price tag is too high for not having very much farm-related policy in the legislation.
Ernst is also disappointed that there haven’t been more pieces added to the legislation including protection for America’s pork producers from state initiatives like California’s Prop 12.
There are some differences between what Chairwoman Stabenow is proposing for crop insurance titles and what Republican Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota is proposing, which is keeping the ARC/PLC programs as it is.
She has been outspoken that there isn’t enough compromise even in the upper chamber’s committee, much less with the Republican-controlled House committee.
