Doing their part to pass a new farm bill, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry advanced the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 with a bipartisan 20-1 vote on June 13. The lone “no” vote came from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) because an amendment he wanted included was not printed in time for committee consideration. He said he plans to present his amendment to tighten commodity program payments for consideration on the Senate floor.
During the discussion, led by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Senate Ranking Member Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made an appearance. Although he is a member of the committee, McConnell often doesn’t attend the business meetings. However, this time he reiterated his desire to pass the farm bill, telling the committee that if they approved he would be certain that it gets quick consideration on the Senate floor. He has repeatedly said he wants to pass the bill before the July 4 recess.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association noted its approval in a statement from Executive Director of Government Affairs, Allison Rivera, saying, “The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is pleased to see the positive step of moving the Senate bill out of committee successfully. This brings us closer to providing producers with the certainty they need to focus on their operations and feed the world.” She added, “While areas of improvement remain, the Senate bill does include some important provisions that address the priorities of America’s cattlemen and women.”
She pointed out that the bill includes language sought by livestock producers to authorize a vaccine bank with priority given to foot-and-mouth disease. However, she said, “We were a little bit disappointed not to see any funding attached to it, but happy to see permanent authorization—that shows support for the bank.”
There was also discussion about conservation programs, with increased funding for Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Additionally, language in the bill would allow some flexibility in haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program land in emergency situations, including periods of drought or in areas affected by wildfires.
The Senate’s committee discussion was much more cordial than what was seen on the House of Representatives’ side. Although the House bill advanced from committee, it failed to pass on full consideration.
Looking ahead to lawmakers passing a farm bill before the current legislation expires on Sept. 30, Rivera said, “At the end of the day, we want the House to move forward. The Senate is moving; we want to continue to see that momentum. We want to get to conference committee, so we can work out some of the kinks. There are obviously a lot of differences between the two bills, one being bipartisan, the other not as much, so there’s obviously some work to do.” — Rae Price, WLJ editor
