Farmers facing high fertilizer, diesel, and interest costs are watching Washington closely as farm bill negotiations gain momentum.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman says years of work on a bipartisan farm bill may finally be paying off.
Speaking this week, the Arkansas Republican said, “We have a tremendous opportunity before us to update farm policies in ‘farm bill 2.0.’ I look forward to releasing text very soon that incorporates many bipartisan measures, and just as importantly, the priorities of farmers.”
Meanwhile, Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar says recent negotiations have been productive, but significant differences remain.
She said, “I think people made it clear they’re concerned about the inequity of the SNAP shifts to the states. The big error rate states getting off for two-years and then, the entire Midwest, not.”
During a recent hearing, Democratic lawmakers also challenged Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, but she pushed back, saying, “Corn exports are going to be record-breaking. We expect a 35 percent increase in volume in corn exports, dairy exports are going to be up almost ten percent, sorghum is going to be up almost 100 percent, tree nuts up almost 11 percent, ethanol up at least 11 percent, and probably more. Wheat exports are up eight percent, and soybean oil is up 129 percent.”
She added the administration’s trade strategy has resulted in 19 new trade agreements and helped reduce the nation’s agricultural trade deficit by nearly half.
While disagreements remain, lawmakers on both sides say momentum is building toward long-awaited farm bill action.
