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Lobbyist: No farm bill surprises expected

A congressional lobbyist thinks farmers will be happy with the new farm bill.

Like everyone else, Andrew Walmsley, director of congressional affairs for American Farm Bureau, is waiting to see final details of the bill. But Walmsley doesn’t expect many surprises.

“Hopefully enough tweaking and refinements around the edges that we’ve improved a lot of the commodity programs,” Walmsley says. “Obviously we don’t see a negative impact to crop insurance. We defeated those harmful amendments.”

On another topic, Walmsley says he doesn’t expect Congress to take up the U.S. Mexico Canada trade agreement until next summer. And he says President Trump’s promise to formally withdraw from NAFTA should push Congress to act.

“There will be a lot of theatrics that have to take place because of the interests that are involved with this,” he says. “But ultimately, in the end, hopefully not too much pressure with withdrawal, but enough pressure there for Congress to act in the affirmative to ratify the new agreement.”

Walmsley spoke with Brownfield at the Nebraska Farm Bureau annual meeting in Kearney.

AUDIO: Andrew Walmsley