The American Farmland Trust reported Friday Congressional conference negotiations on the 2013 Farm Bill have momentarily stalled with principal negotiators unable to achieve compromise on commodity programs.
A key issue that has prevented negotiators from moving forward is the issue of how farm program payments will be calculated on planted acres, base acres or a new 5-year rolling average formula that represents a compromise between the two.
Next week, Congress will be in recess for the Thanksgiving holiday. Legislators will return to Washington on December 2 with only two weeks of legislative days before recessing for the remainder of the year. The remaining legislative days will be critical if a compromise can be reached in time to pass the final farm bill this year.
While negotiations continue, American Farmland Trust continues to urge support for our key priorities.
American Farmland Trust President Andrew McElwaine’s recent opinion editorial on conservation compliance appeared this week in Agripulse, outlining why reattaching conservation compliance to federal crop insurance is the right policy.
Any decisions made in the coming days will largely determine if Congress has the ability to get a comprehensive Farm Bill reauthorization done this year, or if they will have to settle for a simple extension of current policy.
Click Here to tell Congress to take action now and finish the federal Farm Bill.
The American Farmland Trust is the nation’s leading conservation organization dedicated to protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land.