Farm Bill Extension

Farm Bill Extension??I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.
As most of us have heard, the 2008 Farm Bill extension was included with the passage of the Fiscal Cliff package. American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman shares his thoughts about the extension.

Stallman: “Well, from what we understand, and the print isn’t dry yet, so we haven’t had a chance to look at it. Is that what happened was the best thing under the circumstances, not the best thing for the Farm Bill but it provided an extension through 2013, for the 2013 crop year that at least allows farmers and ranchers some certainty about what this crop year going to be instead further short-term extensions. It is basically the same bill that was in place before. We will to start the process again of working on a another five-year Farm Bill in the 2013 Congress. The Dairy provisions were kept the same basically as opposed to some of the reforms that had been agreed to in the discussions in 2012. I suspect that discussion will start up again soon. Right now at least farmers and ranchers know what they are in for this year. It doesn’t really give them a lot of comfort for years out because they still don’t know what the five-year Farm Bill will look like.”

Stallman says the work will begin with the new congress soon in hopes of not repeating what happen last year. He says a lot of the background work has already been accomplished.

Stallman: “My main concern is that given the budget discussions that will occur this coming year is how many dollars will remain for farm policy and the Farm Bill.”
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