Ag organization leaders losing optimism for quick renewal
The window of opportunity for passing a farm bill this year is very small and closing fast.
Talking to people with boots on the ground in American agriculture, optimism that the legislation gets written is hard to find.
Asked if she had hope that it might get done this year, South Dakota Corn Executive Director DaNita Murray responded a simple “no.”
“I don’t have a ton of hope, but that said, there is still a possibility of getting it done if there is a breakthrough in funding challenges,” she said.
It’s been hard to get either side in Washington, D.C., to agree on getting either new money into the current bill or moving money around to help fund the bill.
Stu Swanson is an Iowa farmer and first vice president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association. He made a recent trip to Washington, D.C., for leadership training and took the opportunity to visit with elected officials about U.S. agriculture concerns, including the farm bill.
“I don’t have much concrete information to give you,” he said on the phone from his pickup. “Getting a lot of mixed messages. There is some discussion of maybe getting something moving in March. That’s a window currently open.”
The other less-attractive option, he said, is waiting to do something until the presidential campaign and elections are over during the lame-duck session of Congress.
“Nothing is floating around as far as trial legislation and confusion on how fast things might move,” he said.
Buck Wehrbein is a Nebraska cattle producer and vice president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. He’s also less than optimistic about getting a new bill this year but did say it could be a last-minute accomplishment.
“Now, please understand, I don’t know any more than a local filling station attendant,” he said with a laugh. “With all of the smart people I talk to, I would say no, I don’t think there’s much chance.”
The 2018 farm bill was extending for a year past its expiration date, make its program effective through Sept. 30. Wehrbein said if a new bill gets done, it will probably be at the last minute.
“It’s been decades since we passed a farm bill on time,” he said. “This turns out to be no different. All of the stuff going on in D.C. right now doesn’t help this much either.”
Swanson take a little comfort that there seems to be some consensus on corn grower concerns, including protecting crop insurance and having a strong safety net. Adjusting the reference prices looks like it’s going to take some back-and-forth to get accomplished, though.
“Some members of Congress are pushing for it and some against it,” Swanson said.
“As far as the safety net goes, the design and structure of ARC and PLC are probably agreeable to everyone, it’s just a matter of whether there are any adjustments to make,” he added.
Murray said House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania has talked about marking up a farm bill in the first quarter of this year, which she assumes means more toward the end of March. Government funding issues have thrown a monkey wrench into many of those plans.
“His markup now can’t likely occur until after the next appropriations deadline,” Murray said. “The two sides haven’t agreed on how to get new money into this bill for Title 1, including the farm safety net. I’m not optimistic we’re going to see a magical breakthrough, but that would be wonderful if it happens.”
She thinks the “truth will be told in April,” at the latest. If there isn’t a meaningful markup by April, which means a bipartisan markup, “it’s probably over for the year,” Murray said.
She doesn’t want to see a “messaging markup” for the benefit of one party or the other.
A lot goes into writing a farm bill, and each major agricultural organization in America has certain things they would like to see included in the legislation. Wehrbein, an eastern Nebraska-based cattle producer, says NCBA has been fortunate to get a lot of things they wanted into past farm bills.
“One thing I want more people to be aware of is animal rights activism in the farm bill process,” Wehrbein said. “For the first time in my recollection, activists are trying to infiltrate this process. That’s an important thing that NCBA and our state affiliates are watching.
“They can do a lot of mischief if they get in and start acting like they’re producers,” he added. “That’s why we have our antenna up especially high during the farm bill process.”
Politics always plays a role in the farm bill process. Murray said past farm bills mostly stayed out of partisanship, but those days are likely over because of the farm bill’s nutrition title.
“It’s no secret that (Senate Ag Committee Chair) Debbie Stabenow won’t curtail future spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through the Thrifty Food Plan,” she said. “Republicans also had some heartburn over Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, in their mind, arbitrarily increasing spending on the Thrifty Food Plan.”
With that said, Murray said the issues are broader than just politics. Funding is a big issue. Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member John Boozman wants a statutory increase in reference price and not just an increase in the price escalator for PLC support levels.
“There are a lot of regional concerns in the farm bill outside of simple politics,” Murray said.
Swanson recently spent time talking to officials in D.C. about the farm bill process. He said Stabenow’s pending retirement may play a part in what happens this year.
“She wants to cement her legacy before she steps down,” Swanson said. “Republicans may try to do a slow play with her to try and string the process out after the elections in case they can flip the Senate from Democrat to Republican control. Then, they get to write a farm bill.
It’s not something he likes to see.
“The last thing farmers want and need is another extension of the farm bill followed by another, and another, and then another,” Swanson said.
Farmers need the assurance of a five-year farm bill to make the most effective plans for their businesses, he added.
“Something like crop insurance helps a lot when you sit down to talk about your plans with the local ag banker,” Swanson said.
Murray said what’s going to happen is still up in the air, no matter who you talk to about the farm bill. If there’s not a bipartisan proposal in at least one Congressional chamber by April, she thinks it’s essentially over for the rest of the year.
“We will be staring down the barrel of another extension, but I’d be really happy to be wrong.”
Chad Smith is a freelance journalist living in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, but grew up in Castlewood, South Dakota. After spending 22 years behind a microphone in radio, Chad made the switch to full-time freelance journalism, covering agriculture, state and national news stories, sports and everything in between. Reach him at editorial@midwestmessenger.com.
by Chad Smith for The Tristate Neighbor