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Senate Ag Chair Stabenow encouraged by progress on farm bill

The chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee suggests passing a one-year extension of the farm bill is evidence of Congress working with a sense of urgency.

Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow tells Brownfield the House and Senate coming together to fully extend the current farm bill through the next crop year shows significant progress.

“Including programs that have five-year funding that aren’t what they call ‘baseline bills’ that don’t automatically continue, otherwise you have to find money to continue something. So we all agreed (on that).”

She says it’s also encouraging that she and Ranking Member John Boozman of Arkansas worked together with Ag Secretary Vilsack to provide robust funding for USDA’s trade promotion programs.

“And basically double the funding for the next five years. So now we just have to get to the next step, hopefully we have a Speaker long enough to keep that going. And we’re just going to put our heads down and get it done.”

Stabenow is not seeking reelection and says more importantly than seeing a farm bill through to the finish line while she’s chair is providing the certainty of a five-year farm bill to farmers.