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Farm bill extension is likely the next step
The 2018 Farm Bill expired on September 30th and an ag economist says the longer the industry goes without a farm bill, the more problematic it becomes.
University of Missouri’s Scott Brown says a farm bill extension is needed. “We don’t want to revert to permanent law,” he says. “There are reasons to get that extension done. So we don’t see USDA starting to implement any of those permanent law provisions, most of which become more biting once we get to January 1.”
Brown says the new Speaker of the House has laid out an ambitious agenda to move bills, but there are several items ahead of the 2023 Farm Bill. “We’re seeing the U.S. House now start to move individual appropriations bills and I believe the Speaker has suggested he wants all those appropriations bills to the finish line and go through the normal process,” he says. “That’s going to take a lot of time.”
He tells Brownfield Congress may not need a full year to complete the farm bill. “But, I don’t know what early 2024 looks like at this point, but I think the window to finish would be relatively narrow,” he says. “Because once we get into election mode, I don’t see any more work being done to try to get a farm bill done. So maybe that pushes us into 2025.”
Brown says the short-term current continuing resolution to keep the government funded expires on November 17th.
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