Agricultural News
In Lieu of Floor Time For 2012 Farm Bill, Lucas Supports 2008 Extension
Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:18:28 CDT
It appears that the 2012 Farm Bill will not get floor time in the House of Representatives before the August recess, but House leaders will allow consideration of package that includes a one-year extension of the 2008 farm bill.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas said, "Next week's schedule calls for consideration of a package that includes disaster assistance programs and a one-year extension of current farm policy. It is critical that we provide certainty to our producers and address the devastating drought conditions that are affecting most of the country and I look forward to supporting and advancing this legislation."
The cost is projected to be $621 million over 10 years, saving $399 million.
Section one of the legislation slated for action next week is a one-year extension of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, with certain modifications.
Section two deals with supplemental agriculture disaster assistance. With 64 percent of the contiguous United States experiencing drought, livestock producers are looking for effective risk management tools. The current livestock disaster policies expired in September 2011, one year before the end of the 2008 farm bill. This legislation would re-authorize these policies for fiscal years 2012 and 2013. Specifically, Livestock Indemnity Payments (LIP), Livestock Forage Disaster Programs (LFP), Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP), and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) are all generally reauthorized.
To pay for this disaster assistance, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program is capped at $1.4 billion; the Conservation Stewardship Program is capped at 11 million acres; the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program is capped at $150 million; and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is capped at $45 million.
These offsets are consistent with levels previously established by enacted appropriations-which reduced levels authorized by the Agriculture Committees-and will still allow these important programs to function at recent funding levels.
In addition, direct payments-which are currently paid on 85 percent of a producer's base acres-will be paid on 84.5 percent as a partial offset.
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