Senate committee expects to take up farm bill this week
Among the specialty crop considerations in the Senate version is the establishment of a Specialty Crops Coordinator to address the needs of producers.
FGN sister site Spudman is reporting the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee expects to take up its version of a five-year farm bill this week.
The bill (.pdf), introduced by committee chair John Boozman, would steer conservation programs more heavily to drought resilience, while ramping up thinning of trees in national forests to reduce wildfire risks. Changes in nutrition programs could be met with opposition, however.
Among the specialty crop considerations in the Senate version is the establishment of a Specialty Crops Coordinator to address the needs of producers.
The U.S. House passed its version of a farm bill by a 224-200 vote in late April.
The National Potato Council (NPC) stressed the need for rapid action, as the Senate intends to recess for the rest of August.
“Clearly the ag leaders on Capitol Hill are doing everything in their power to get a modernized, competitive farm bill enacted this year,” NPC president Ben Sklarczyk said in a statement. “Given all the global uncertainty, successfully completing this goal will be very positive for family farms across the country.”
Boozman released a draft of the House farm bill on June 23.