Pushing for a Farm BIll

Pushing For A Farm Bill. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

Congress returns from its Easter break this week - and work on a farm bill could start in the Senate Ag Committee soon. Farm Bureau’s Dale Moore expects farm bill work to start in earnest in the Senate Ag Committee first probably in a few weeks.

MOORE: We at Farm Bureau are working on the assumption that the Senate committed could be moving as early as late April in terms of actually sitting down and debating, deliberating a thorough approach to the farm bill this go around sometime from early May to late May the House Agriculture committee doing likewise.

Both committees now have budget numbers to start farm bill work - minus 23-billion over 10-years in the Senate and at least 31-billion less in the House - not including food stamp cuts. The two numbers are similar to last year’s cuts - except that last year’s savings and the so-called budget baseline are now estimated lower by 10 to 14-billion dollars. The other big question is whether House GOP leaders will now let a farm bill proceed to the House floor - unlike last year.

MOORE: I’m operating on the approach that the Lucas and Mr. Peterson are going to move forward with their farm bills and they are going to be keeping the speaker and Mr. Peterson keeping Ms. Pelosi posted on how that progress is moving and in that regard I’m sure that when we get to that point we need a good, hard commitment that they’re going to get it.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.