Daily News Update, Feb. 15, 2008

Farm bill update

Ag groups and policymakers are still waiting for the House of Representatives to name their farm bill conferees. The Senate named their conferees last week. Meanwhile, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) have been working on compromise language aimed at appeasing the Administration's concerns over farm bill costs and policy differences.

Peterson and Goodlatte wrote a letter Feb. 9 to "the farm bill community" acknowledging frustrations with finalizing a 2007 farm bill. "We believe it is time to put something forward that is realistic and move forward with the conference committee. We do not believe that any strategy involving a veto will be good for the country," the letter says.

The letter also states that every effort is being made to outline a framework that is acceptable to the House, Senate and Administration before the President's Day recess in order to pass a farm bill before the expiration of current law on March 15.

In response to proposed compromise language, Ag Secretary Ed Schafer and Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner said they are encouraged. "With these reforms and with acceptable offsets for the $6 billion of additional spending, we believe this offer represents a package that is moving in a direction of a bill that the President would sign," said Schafer and Conner in a statement  Wednesday.

"We urge the House and Senate to use this proposal as the framework for a conference agreement. Without action sometime soon, we risk not reaching a final agreement that would provide a long-term safety net for America's farmers and ranchers."

NCBA is monitoring any action by the House of Representatives to appoint conferees. Until that takes place, House and Senate Agriculture Committee staff continue to address differences between the House and Senate bills.

The House Ag Committee has developed farm bill conference side-by-side documents that compare provisions in both bills. These are posted on the House Ag Committee Web site at: www.agriculture.house.gov.