What Happened?

What Happened? That’s what everyone within the agriculture community is wondering now about the House Farm Bill that went down in flames last week. Once again, massive expansion of the food stamp program was the major cause of the disagreement that caused the farm bill’s downfall. So, what now? Well, they can extend yet again the current 2008 farm bill programs, but that would more than likely go over like a lead balloon, and the Senate probably won’t slide with that. Current programs could be allowed to expire and everything can go back to 1949 law, which would create utter chaos among agricultural sectors and leave consumers scrambling to figure out how they’re going to pay for soaring food prices, or House Ag Committee Chair Frank Lucas can go back to the Ag Committee and try to rework the existing bill, which is more than likely what will happen. Lucas said after the farm bill’s defeat Thursday that they were assessing all of their options, and he had no doubt that they will finish their work in the near future and provide the certainty that farmers, ranchers and rural constituents need. That’s starting to ring just a little hollow by now.