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AFBF director sees three ag priorities in DC

The American Farm Bureau’s head lobbyist says it is likely three key issues involving agriculture will be resolved in Congress by the end of the year.

 

Mary Kay Thatcher tells Brownfield the first has to do with just getting the omnibus budget bill done.

“The deadline on that is December 11th…it could slip.  I still suspect we’ll be around Washington doing things by the 20th of December, but that bill is what keeps the government running so we can’t let it shut down.”

She says there are also a lot of tax bills that need to be extended.

“Probably in the range of 50 of them, including really important things to farmers like Section 179 depreciation and bonus depreciation.”

And Thatcher says it looks like a highway bill might get completed in 2015.

“We added a couple-week extension in the last few days, but I think we’re getting pretty close to having an agreement on this.  Certainly we’ve worked out a lot of the differences.”

She says getting the highway bill through will provide certainty to farmers who are concerned about the condition of rural roads and bridges in the U.S.