A FARM BILL IS CLEARLY IN SIGHT In an announcement made public on
Thursday afternoon, the long-awaited word was received. A farm bill
agreement had been reached. However, the press conference that was
scheduled for 6:00 p.m. was postponed several times. At the end of the
day, the only official information that emerged was that an agreement of
the House and Senate conferees was imminent.
Later in the evening the word “agreement” was changed to “framework,”
and while some details have emerged, reports often in conflicted.
The meetings prior to Thursday evening had ceased to be public meetings
and became private meetings with “select conferees.” Information was
scarce as a gag order effectively kept information from stakeholders.
However, staff conceded that the two sides were coming closer together.
In addition to the challenges of reaching an understanding on the
issues, the agreement must fall within the parameters of the budget. At
the time of this writing, that information has not as yet been made
available. A press conference will take place after CBO (Congressional
Budget Office) has scored the agreement that will have been reviewed and
approved by conferees. It is believed that the final document will be
finished on Monday or Tuesday and the bill will be considered on the House
and Senate floors shortly after that.
The details of the “framework” are at this point so speculative that no
information about the details of the bill can be confirmed. However, NAWG
applauds the progress made by the conferees that suggest that there will
be a farm bill in place for the 2002 crop year. As soon as information
becomes official, an announcement will be made of its provisions.
“Farmers needed this farm bill,” said Gary Broyles, a Montana farmer
and President of NAWG. “Our organization has been working tirelessly on
this legislation for over a year, and it’s great to see it pass this
milestone.”
NAWG has been concerned that with the last wheat crop under existing
law is in the ground, lenders in some parts of the country have been
reluctant to extend financing due to the uncertain farm bill outcome. The
need for four consecutive years of emergency payments underscores a
serious situation in farm country. This bill will give farmers, as well as
their lenders and suppliers, security to proceed with decisions for 2002
and beyond.
“Conferees and staff worked hard to get this bill finished, said
Broyles. “NAWG appreciates the long hours and weekends put in by Members
and staff, and the fact that in the end, they were able to put policy
ahead of politics and complete the bill. We now need prompt action by both
House and Senate to approve the conference report, and to send this bill
to the President.”
