Battle lines are already being drawn in the Senate for a possible late May or early June markup of the House farm bill that passed last week. Reports say Democrats are prepping for a fight over pesticides and food assistance. Senate Ag Chair John Boozman (AR) described the legislation as a “good bill.” He told attendees at NAFB’s Washington Watch that the most important thing they’ll need to do is increase the credit limits. “The 2018 Farm Bill was actually based on 2012 data, and the world is totally different now than it was in 2012,” Boozman said.
Reports say the successful House vote marks the farthest a farm bill has progressed in Congress since the most recent reauthorization was signed into law in 2018. Reports show that Thursday’s vote came after weeks of pressure from farm-state lawmakers and agriculture lobbying groups that stressed the need to help farmers.