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Congress could push to split the 2018 Farm Bill

An ag economist says House agriculture leadership has signaled it wants to reexamine the possibility of separating the nutrition title from the Farm Bill.

Carl Zulauf is professor emeritus at Ohio State University.  “I expect the House Ag Committee to propose that,” he says.  “It is not clear how the Senate will react to that.  The last time, the Senate argued to keep nutrition in.”

Zulauf says if the nutrition title is removed – the dynamics of the Farm Bill changes.

He says that lends to interesting potential partners for agriculture.  “The most likely broad coalition that would be merged – would be between farmers and environmentalists,” he says.  “That has the potential to be broad enough – if the two groups could determine how they could work together in a compromise, large negotiating position like that.”

He tells Brownfield historically the nutrition title has been key in getting support behind the Farm Bill.

AUDIO: Carl Zulauf, Ohio State University