Shape of new farm bill remains uncertain

With Congress adjourned until after the November elections without taking action on a new farm bill, producers coming off a drought year are facing considerable uncertainty as the 2012 harvest comes to a close.

University of Missouri Extension agricultural economist Scott Brown said that, after months of negotiations, the farm bill failed to move forward after the Republic-controlled House of Representatives was unable to bring the legislation to a vote.

"The Senate did end up passing a farm bill from the floor, and although the House did pass a bill out of committee it never reached the House floor, which is the next step in the process," Brown said. "So with Congress not back in session until after the election, we're in a situation where we are not going to know very much until the lame-duck session, and guessing what will happen (then) is pretty tough."

However, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, whose 6th District includes Nodaway County, said he believes lawmakers could still act after voters go to the polls next month.

"While I'm disappointed Congress adjourned last week without passing a farm bill, I am hopeful we can address this after the election," Graves said.

He added that "urban lawmakers" were holding the farm bill "hostage to insist on more funding for food stamps," which Graves said makes up about 80 percent of the proposed spending.

"While the House version has cut spending in most programs, agriculture has taken a much bigger hit by percentage," Graves said in a prepared statement. "Additionally, savings in the food stamp program is found through fraud prevention, not by reducing benefits or removing recipients from the program.

"The House passed a disaster relief bill this summer that would provide help for low yields. Unfortunately, the Senate has refused to act to provide America's food and fiber producers the relief they need."

In a release issued by the University of Missouri's Cooperative Media Group, Brown said the election's outcome could indicate how Congress proceeds during the lame-duck session that will end in December.

"If the Republicans were to take control of both the House and Senate, I certainly think that is a situation where it could be more apt to see a short-term extension and the Republicans restarting the farm bill process going into 2013," he said. "If control of the two chambers remains split, then I think we might see them work hard in lame duck to get a (permanent) farm bill done."

However, lawmakers have been unable to pass a new farm bill over the past two years and would only have four weeks to do so when the current Congress returns following the November vote.

Brown said the commodity titles that came from the Senate floor and through the House Agriculture Committee are similar shouldn't be too difficult to resolve. Nutrition, programs, however, are another matter.

"There is certainly a lot of difference of opinion when you look at the House side in terms of how far cuts need to go," he said.

Should Congress fail to take action before year end, farm policy could revert back to the permanent law enacted in 1949, a state of affairs Brown believes unlikely.

"If you think you can take 1949 law and apply it in 2012 without some issues, then you haven't thought very carefully about how agriculture has changed over the last several decades," he said.