Ag spending bill for 2012 approved by Senate Appropriations Committee

Farm and Ranch September 9, 2011 The full U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the Fiscal year 2012 agricultural appropriations bill.

Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Chairman of the ag appropriations subcommittee, called it a very austere bill with non-security discretionary spending 200 million dollars lower than last year and 3.2 billion dollars lower that 2010.

Kohl described the priorities he and the subcommittee’s co-chair followed.

Kohl: “First among them was the goal to protect public health and safety, including food safety. We have made sure that these activities are protected. Another priority is WIC and other nutrition programs. Nutrition programs historically comprise more than one-third discretionary spending in this bill. During these difficult economic times we believe it is important to maintain current program participation and we have done so in this bill. Another priority we sought to protect is agricultural research. Without continued in research food production in this country and around the world will not be able to keep up with growing populations and challenges of climate change, invasive pests and other threats.”

Research funding is reduced however, as is spending for farm loans and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

With the new fiscal year fast approaching it is expected that Congress will pass a continuing resolution rather than individual spending bills.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.