Senate Farm Bill Passes While House Waits

Senate Farm Bill Passes While House Waits. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

On a 64-35 vote the Senate yesterday passed their version of the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said quote; “I’m very pleased that the Senate acted in bipartisan spirit today to approve the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act.” Washington Senator Maria Cantwell is pleased.

CANTWELL: The good news for Washington State is important products like peas and lentils and chickpeas will now have an opportunity to have even more research and better opportunities for markets and schools and school lunches but there’s also good news there for Washington specialty crops like apples, cherries, pear in making sure that they get the research and market assistance that will help them in developing new opportunities for that product.

The House Agriculture Committee is not going to hold a markup on the next farm bill until after the Fourth of July recess. The markup is scheduled for July 11th. Chairman Frank Lucas decided to postpone the markup because the fiscal year 2013 Agriculture appropriations bill will come up on the House floor next week. According to Lucas - the committee members need to devote their attention to that process and to protecting that bill against potentially harmful amendments. He says antagonists on both sides of the farm bill will view the spending bill as a mini farm bill.

Now here’s today’s Washington Grange report.

(Grange)

That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.