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Will there or won’t there..

Monday morning’s Farm Bill update…

American Farm Bureau Federation Senior Director of Congressional Relations Mary Kay Thatcher says late Saturday night there were three bills put on the Extension Calendar in the House; which means they could be called for a vote today. 

“One of those bills is a lengthy bill that extends current programs,” she says.  “It does reduce the direct payments a little bit in order to pay for some of the extension of those 37 expiring provisions – including livestock disaster assistance.  It also puts in place the new dairy program – moving to a gross margin program and doing away with the price supports and the MILC program.”  The other two, she says are short, 30 day extensions.

Thatcher tells Brownfield Committee leaders are in agreement a five-year bill is not in the cards – and an extension, at this point, is the best option. “I strongly suspect none of the leaders are going to be very excited about a one month extension,” she says. “With Congress just coming back and 80 new members in the House; they’ll still be looking for the bathroom on the 31^st of January – let along trying to pass a new Farm Bill.”

She says as of this morning Majority Leader Cantor did not have any of the bills on the schedule for the House today – so the farm bill still may not see a vote today.

AUDIO: Mary Kay Thatcher, AFBF – Farm Bill Update (4:03mp3)