The chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees emerged from a 90-minute meeting tonight at 7:30 and said they had made progress on all sections of the farm bill, would meet again tomorrow, and may announce a comprehensive framework for the bill.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said they had discussed all aspects of the bill including nutrition.

“We’re making progress and we’ll let you know more tomorrow,” Stabenow said. “We’re working in good faith. We want to have everything agreed to this week.”

House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., agreed with Stabenow’s statements, smiled, and said that at some point there will be “one big kumbayah.”

Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., attended the meeting but did not speak to reporters as he left.

“Is there white smoke?” Stabenow asked, as she saw reporters in the hallway outside the Longworth House Office Building conference room where they met.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., who is chairing the conference, emerged last and sounded a little less confident than the Democrats.

Lucas said that ”in a few areas” they had “advanced the discussion.”

Asked whether there would be an agreement before week’s end, Lucas said, “Tomorrow we will try everything we can.”

Asked whether the principals would stay behind after the House and Senate leave Thursday for the Thanksgiving break, Lucas said, “We will see tomorrow about staying later.”

None of the four were willing to discuss details, an agreement that Lucas attributed to the group being “four very grizzled calloused veterans.”

Asked if he would confirm Stabenow’s statement that they had discussed nutrition, Lucas said, “Everybody needs nutrition.”