Leaders of agriculture organizations across the country expressed disapproval of a one-year extension of the 2008 Farm Bill, rather than a new five-year bill, that has been proposed in the U.S. House.
“The Texas Farm Bureau strongly supports the passage of a new five-year farm bill,” said TFB President Kenneth Dierschke. “Therefore, our organization respectfully requests that House leaders oppose passage of a single year extension of the 2008 Farm Bill. The proposed legislation to be considered this week requires significant budget reductions in agriculture spending with little or no benefits to Texas producers.”
The proposed extension first was mentioned last Friday by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). It comes just weeks after the House Agriculture Committee approved its version of the farm bill, which included more than $35 billion in savings over the course of a decade. The extension would continue current farm policy through the 2013 fiscal year.
“A one-year extension offers our farm and ranch families nothing in the way of long-term policy certainty,” said American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Bob Stallman. “Farmers and ranchers always face decisions that carry very serious financial ramifications, such as planting a crop, buying land or building a herd, and we need clear and confident signals from our lawmakers.”