Agricultural News
House Ag Committee Chair Frank Lucas Talks Sequestration, Farm Bill Extension and New Five Year Farm Bill
Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:39:29 CST
The Chairman of the House Ag Committee is not too worried about the Senate Democratic proposal that would eliminate direct farm program payments for the next decade in order to help pay for one year of Sequestration. Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas points out in an exclusive interview with Farm Director Ron Hays the plan advanced by Nevada Senator Harry Reid includes billions of dollars in tax hikes- and that the Republicans in the House have already rejected any sequestration alternative that includes raising more revenue- reminding Hays that the GOP stance is that Washington has a spending problem- not a revenue problem.
Lucas wants farmers to be aware about sign up for the 2013 farm program- made possible by the one year farm bill extension begins today- February 19, 2013 and will continue until June third for the ACRE program and until August second for the DCP program. He urges farmers to sign up quickly, which will lock the committment into place for this crop year with farmers- saying that there are those in Washington who would like to step in and change the rules of the game and eliminate the direct program payments for this crop year- after those provisions were extended back on January first.
Hays and Lucas also talked about the timing of writing a new farm law. Lucas does not see starting until May at the earliest, assuming that the dust has settled and we know some of the key budget numbers that will determine how many dollars will be available craft the next five year program. Earlier in the day, the House Ag Committee's Chief Economist Bart Fischer told participants in the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Leadership Conference that the Chairman is focused on the same principles that were a part of the House Ag Committee's Farm Bill proposal that passed the Committee with bipartisan support. That will include choice for producers in what program works for them in the Commodity Title.
You can hear the entire conversation that Hays had with Chairman Lucas just ahead of the Monday evening banquet where he was honored by the American Farm Bureau with their Golden Plow award. Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear that visit. Click here for our earlier story that includes the audio remarks of Chairman Lucas in response to receiving the award from AFBF President Bob Stallman.
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