Senate Farm Bill Passes

Senate Farm Bill Passes. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

The U.S. Senate has passed a farm bill on a strong bipartisan vote that top ag Senators hope will get the House to pass its own version this month. The Senate passed its farm bill on a 66 to 27 vote - three-more than last year when election year politics kept a bill from coming to the House floor. But hopes are higher this year that House leaders will take up their version and assemble the votes needed to pass it. Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow is counting on Monday’s strong Senate vote to make that happen.

STABENOW: The House did not take up the bill and in my judgement walked away from rural America last year. We had to come back and do it again so we used that work product that the Senate did last year as the basis of our work
 
Stabenow hailed the Senate bill’s deficit savings - elimination of direct payments and consolidation of programs and authorizations.

STABENOW: We are providing $24-billion dollars in deficit reduction on a bi-partisan basis. We are providing policies that will conserve our land and our water resources for generations to come that help families that have fallen on hard times, keep food on the tables for their children. A bill that helps our veterans get started in agriculture that supports our small towns all across America.

The House is expected to take up the farm bill later this month - with a House-Senate negotiation to iron out bill differences possible sometime in July.

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