The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on June 13 advanced its version of the 2018 farm bill to the full Senate.
The committee’s two leaders are hailing the bill, called the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, as a bipartisan effort that encompasses a broad array of agriculture, nutrition, conservation and forestry policy.
“The Senate agriculture committee’s bipartisan farm bill process is a reminder of how things should work in Washington – listening to the folks back home, working through issues with the other side of the aisle, then writing a good bill,” Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, said in a joint statement. “Today marks another important step in the road to getting an on-time farm bill enacted into law. We urge our colleages to support this bill.
According to a press release from the agriculture committee, the legislation has the support of more than 115 agriculture and forestry-related organizations.
“Farmers and ranchers welcome today’s markup and passage of the farm bill by the Senate Agriculture Committee. Low commodity prices, rising interest rates and an uncertain future for exports hang heavy over America’s farm and ranch land. But today’s vote means light on the horizon. We know that Congress is determined to see us continue to provide food security, fuel and fiber for all Americans,” Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation said in a statement. “We applaud the spirit of cooperation shown in today’s 20-1 vote, and are eager to see that carry through on the floor of the Senate in the coming days.”
The current farm bill was signed into law by then-President Barack Obama on February 7, 2014.
House farm bill still unapproved
The U.S. House Agriculture Committee advanced its version of the farm bill, known as the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, to the full house in May. Six days later, the House voted on the bill, shooting it down by a 198-213 vote that directly followed party lines.
