Farm Bill Done But What's Next

Farm Bill Done But What's Next. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture.

Now that the President has signed the five-year farm bill and extolled the virtues of it, what is next? Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack who was present at the signing last Friday at Michigan State University has said they began work on implementing the bill some time back. Vilsack said some farm bill programs will go into effect for this crop year, but many will be operational in the 2015 crop year.

VILSACK: We have a prioritization process and we are going to be focusing as much of our time and resources as we possibly can in implementing all the various provisions of the farm bill as quickly, as efficiently, as correctly as possible. And would anticipate that some will have impact on this year.

American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman says renewal of the livestock and specialty crop disaster provisions are one positive aspect of the farm bill.

STALLMAN: There was also fundamental changes in the way we do our support payments. The direct payments were eliminated. Crop insurance, or risk management programs, were expanded, which we view as very positive as it allows farmers and ranchers to customize their risk management plans for their operations and still have a safety net, but farmers and ranchers have to pay for those premiums too, which makes it sort of a shared safety net with the U.S. government.

Just before he signed the bill the President joked that this bill was like a Swiss Army knife.

OBAMA: Secretary Vilsack calls it a jobs bill. An innovation bill. An infrastructure bill. A research bill. A conservation bill.

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