12/17/07 Are we any closer to a farm bill?

Farm and Ranch December 17, 2007 The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of a new farm bill back in July and the Senate finally passed its bill Friday. However; Connor: "It is important for farmers out there to know, that unless there are substantial changes made to this bill we are indeed no closer to a good farm bill than we were before the Senate passed this bill." That was Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Connor speaking with reporters shortly after the Senate approved its farm bill. Like the House passed legislation the administration is threatening a veto of the Senate version because of its reliance on taxes and its failure to reform payment limits as extensively as the administration wants. The House bill did not pass with a veto proof majority but the Senate bill did. What's a likely compromise on AGI and payment limits? Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar thinks her amendment which was defeated on the Senate floor could be adopted in conference committee. Klobuchar: "I talked with Collin Peterson about it and he knows there is going to be negotiations with the White House. And I think the numbers with the 750-thousand dollars for a full-time farmer, 250-thousand for a part-time farmer, I think we may end up somewhere in that range. The reason we want to do it we want to get a farm bill and we want to make sure it is one that doesn't hurt our family farmers." The administration apparently would accept Klobuchar's approach for upon the floor defeat of amendment Acting Secretary Connor said it was a missed opportunity for true reform. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.