Senate leadership names farm bill conferees

The Senate’s top leadership Aug. 1 named nine members as conferees to the 2018 farm bill debate. This followed a vote by the Senate earlier that day to move the vote to conference.

Marking the importance of passage for Senate farm bill provisions legalizing industrial hemp is to his state, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, named himself to the conference. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas, Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, are the other Republicans named to the conference.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, named Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, along with Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, to the conference.

The Republican leadership followed seniority in their choices. The Democrats, meanwhile, leapfrogged four senior members—Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Joe Donnelly of Indiana—to pick Heitkamp, who has a tough re-election fight in her home state.

“This strong group of Senate conferees knows how to work together on a bipartisan basis to get the farm bill across the finish line,” Roberts and Stabenow said in a statement. “We look forward to beginning the conference process so we can provide certainty to our farmers, families, and rural communities.”

In a statement, Heitkamp said, “It’s an honor to be named as a member of the farm bill conference committee. I’ve always said that as a U.S. senator from North Dakota, my top priority is getting a farm bill done.

“That’s what we did in 2014, and I want to make sure it happens again this year. It’s critical that Congress passes a bipartisan, common sense farm bill before the current bill expires at the end of September so we can give North Dakota farmers, ranchers, and rural communities some needed certainty amid uncertain times for agriculture.

“The Senate passed a strong, bipartisan farm bill, as we have historically done, which included many provisions I fought for to support North Dakota, like reforms to the ARC-County program, support for young and beginning farmers, and a strong crop insurance program. I’ll continue to get input from North Dakota producers as we get to work on the conference committee to make sure the farm bill addresses the needs of our state.

“With commodity prices falling as the administration’s trade war is escalating, we can’t waste any time or get bogged down with divisive and partisan provisions—the farm bill is too important to our farmers and our rural economy.”

Fifty-six House and Senate members have been assigned to the conference committee, including members from both the Senate and House Agriculture Committees as well as from House committees with jurisdiction in the bill.

Reacting to the announcement of the Senate conferees, National Association of Wheat Growers President and Sentinel, Oklahoma, wheat farmer Jimmie Musick said, “NAWG applauds that the House and Senate for moving forward with the 2018 farm bill reauthorization process by assigning members to the conference committee. While there is still much work to be done, we are pleased that House and Senate leadership are keeping up the momentum by completing this crucial next step in finalizing a 2018 farm bill.

“While reconciling differences between the two bills, NAWG urges members to put politics aside and growers first by completing one bill that works for all of agriculture. In our discussions with the Conference Committee, we will continue to fight to prevent cuts to crop insurance and ensure growers have access to a strong safety net program.

“NAWG remains committed to prioritizing working lands programs in the farm bill and ensuring that wheat growers have access to conservation stewardship and practices-based payments. Voluntary conservation programs should address the resource concerns of all production areas and especially semi-arid regions with dryland farming where there is significant wheat production.

“Additionally, we will work to make sure the final bill has a fully funded Research Title, so growers can have access to the innovative technology allowing them to continue to produce a healthy crop at a lower cost for the consumer. 

“NAWG will also work with the committee to make sure the 2018 farm bill includes strong investment in the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Program, which allow small agricultural businesses to build export markets overseas. 

“We are looking forward to working with members and their staff throughout this process and hope to finalize a bill by the Sept. 30th deadline.”

On July 26, Roberts and Stabenow met with their House counterparts, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway, R-TX, and ranking member Collin Peterson, D-MN, about the farm bill conference.

The “Big Four,” as they are sometimes called in Aggie circles, issued a brief joint statement that made no mention of any of the major differences between the two bills.

“We look forward to working together to get a farm bill finished as quickly as possible, and we’re committed to finding solutions to resolve the differences. We must keep working to provide American farmers and families with the certainty and predictability they need and deserve,” the statement said.

Even though the House is in recess through Labor Day, staff will be meeting in order to complete the compromise bill.

Larry Dreiling can be reached at 785-628-1117 or [email protected].