Peterson and Stabenow disagree on farm bill future
April 11, 2014 | 11:44 AM
The two top Democrats in Congress on agricultural policy — House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. — disagreed this week on the future of farm bills.
Peterson told the North American Agricultural Journalists on Tuesday that he thinks it would be “almost impossible to pass a next farm bill. This might be the last one.”
Until there is reapportionment after the 2020 Census, Peterson said, Congress is going to remain divided.
“It was a minor miracle that we got it done,” he said. “We needed a new bill this time, we needed a bill for cotton and we needed a new bill for dairy.”
It could also be argued, he said, “we needed a bill to get rid of direct payments,” but he added he thinks the new commodity programs will become just as controversial.
“Now have a bill that everyone can permanently live with. This might be a 20-year farm bill,” he added.
But Stabenow told the agricultural journalists, “I think you will see another farm bill is because of the incredibly broad coalition we put together.”
“We had about 500 different organizations that endorsed this farm bill, not only important farm organizations, but new groups from the conservation community, forestry groups, environmental groups, the National Rifle Association endorsed our bill because of the protection of hunting habitat that was in the bill — on the other side the Union of Concerned Scientists because of the positive impact on climate change.”
“My guess is that there are some programs that we are going to have to tweak,” she concluded. “I am optimistic that the coalition put together can be sustained and help pass the next farm bill.”
Peterson told the North American Agricultural Journalists on Tuesday that he thinks it would be “almost impossible to pass a next farm bill. This might be the last one.”
Until there is reapportionment after the 2020 Census, Peterson said, Congress is going to remain divided.
“It was a minor miracle that we got it done,” he said. “We needed a new bill this time, we needed a bill for cotton and we needed a new bill for dairy.”
It could also be argued, he said, “we needed a bill to get rid of direct payments,” but he added he thinks the new commodity programs will become just as controversial.
“Now have a bill that everyone can permanently live with. This might be a 20-year farm bill,” he added.
But Stabenow told the agricultural journalists, “I think you will see another farm bill is because of the incredibly broad coalition we put together.”
“We had about 500 different organizations that endorsed this farm bill, not only important farm organizations, but new groups from the conservation community, forestry groups, environmental groups, the National Rifle Association endorsed our bill because of the protection of hunting habitat that was in the bill — on the other side the Union of Concerned Scientists because of the positive impact on climate change.”
“My guess is that there are some programs that we are going to have to tweak,” she concluded. “I am optimistic that the coalition put together can be sustained and help pass the next farm bill.”
