Agricultural News
Farm Bill Extension Dies- Livestock Drought Help Lives- Vote Coming Thursday
Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:15:47 CDT
The short lived one year extension of the 2008 Farm Law is dead, as Republican leadership pulled the bill as the Rules Committee prepared to meet on Tuesday evening to ready the measure for Floor consideration on Wednesday. Instead, it appears that House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma will now lead a hurry up effort to obtain Livestock Disaster Assistance for this crop year and next- the same livestock disaster package that was hooked up with the extension that was doomed from almost the start.
Tuesday evening, the House Ag Committee issued the following statement that is attributed to Chairman Frank Lucas:
"My priority remains to get a five-year farm bill on the books and put those policies in place, but the most pressing business before us is to provide disaster assistance to those producers impacted by the drought conditions who are currently exposed. The House is expected to consider a disaster assistance package on Thursday and I encourage my colleagues to support it. Beyond that, I will continue to work with my leadership, Ranking Member Peterson and our members to determine the best path forward. The challenges our farmers and ranchers are currently facing only underscores how important it is that we complete a five-year farm bill this year."
The House Rules Committee has released details of the Disaster Package, HR 6233. It is listed as an item that may be considered under the suspension of the rules. Click here to read the full text of the bill- 22 pages long.
Chairman Lucas pays for the some $600 million pricetag for the Livestock assistance by pulling money from Conservation spending. David Rogers writes at Politico.Com "The estimated costs could exceed $600 million but be offset by imposing caps on two conservation programs much as the House Appropriations Committee has already proposed in its 2013 budget bill."
You can read his full update on this latest development related to farm policy and a Congress very anxious to get out of town- click here for his update.
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