09/04/07 Farm bill, it may or may not happen

The House passed its version of the Farm Bill prior to the August recess. Now the Senate has to get down to brass tacks and start working on legislation that will replace the 2002 Farm Bill when it expires at the end of this month. Farmers and ranchers, commodity groups and lobbyists await the Senate's version which many observers say will differ from the House bill. Amalgamated Sugar Company's Vic Jaro says the legislation that the House passed was, in his words, 'a really, really good bill.' JARO "They listened to the commodity groups, they've listened to sugar, they know what needs to be done to protect agriculture and they have done a very good job of putting a package together that I think can be very easily supported. It has been supported in the House. I think it's supported by the various ag groups around the nation." Jaro says it is possible the farm bill will be sidetracked by the Senate debate over Iraq and the military assessment due out in mid-month. JARO "So you would certainly like to have something in writing by the time you plant next year's crop but it may or may not happen." He says from the sugar industry perspective continuing the 2002 farm bill would not be a problem if a solution isn't reached this year. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott