Special Report
Vilsack says delaying Farm Bill not a good idea
U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says what may turn the 2012 Farm Bill into a 2013 Farm Bill fully depends on Congress. Vilsack –who favors passage THIS year – told reporters at Commodity Classic in Nashville the budget isn’t going to get any better next year, “Especially if they can’t get their act together on these discretionary spending cuts, if sequester comes into play, boom – across the board (cuts). That’s a horrible way to do things because you can’t set priorities that way.”
If the Congress doesn’t act by the end of this year, parts or all of the 2008 Farm Bill will remain in effect. While there’s bipartisan agreement in the House and Senate Ag Committees that a Farm Bill needs to pass this year, Vilsack says, it’s the full Congress that needs to understand, support and pass the Farm, Food and Jobs Bill.
Vilsack credits Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow for accelerating the process and says the House Ag Chairman is in a tough spot right now.
“Representative Lucas, I have a lot of respect for him,”says Vilsack, “He’s got a tough job because he doesn’t know what the number is. Until he knows what the number is it’s going to be really hard to move. So, he’s going to have a series of hearings, he’s going to wait for the Senate to take action. Then, he’s going to use the Senate as a way of explaining to his colleagues that number that you would like to have is probably not what the Senate will accept.”
Vilsack says he’s more hopeful now than he was at the first of the year about passage of a Farm Bill in 2012. He says it’s clear that the ag committees are committed to getting it done this year.
AUDIO: U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack (2:00 mp3)
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