Farm Bill on to Conference

The 2013 Farm Bill continues moving through the legislative process, but with its many moving parts -- how it will end is anyone’s guess. Last week the House submitted its Farm Bill Farm Bill portion of its bill to the Senate for conference. Will they proceed with the parts that can be meshed together? Will they take the Senate portion of the nutrition piece? Will the house be able to come up with a Nutrition Title that can be passed and forwarded to conference? Will any or all of these be accomplished before the September 30th deadline?

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Executive Director of Government Affairs Kristina Butts shares

Butts: “Really what we are pushing for is we want the differences to be worked out because the current extension we are under right now expires September 30th. So we want a conference report back before the House and Senate; passed and the new Farm Bill signed into law before the end of this fiscal year.”

Butts says that there are a lot of questions and possibilities as we move forward, but she urges ranchers to call their U.S. representatives.

Butts: “So time is of the essence. I’m hopeful that anyone listening during the August recess period will reach out to your congressional offices and let them know what those farm bills mean to you. That’s been a pretty big achievement that we realized over the July 4th recess period when members of congress were back home meeting with a lot of our cattle producers. I think that was what helped to persuade some no votes back in the June vote to yes vote this last go round on the Farm Bill.”