House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, over the weekend named Reps. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, and Mike Rogers, R-Saks, to serve on the conference committee charged with negotiating a final agreement on the Farm Bill.
The House and Senate passed different versions of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act, commonly known as the Farm Bill, leading to a conference committee of lawmakers from both bodies to work out the differences.
“For almost three years we’ve been working on a new Farm Bill that would meet this country’s agricultural and economic needs while enacting long-needed reforms to farm and food stamp policy. I’m pleased that the process is moving forward,” Rep. Roby said. “Agriculture is Alabama’s top industry, and I understand the need to pass a long-term Farm Bill to provide our farmers the certainty they deserve. However, we must ensure the bill contains the kind of reforms that shows Congress is serious about changing the culture of spending and government dependence.”
Rep. Roby will serve alongside fellow Alabama-delegation and Agriculture Committee Member Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL).
“Agriculture is a $1 billion industry for my home state of Alabama and provides good-paying jobs for folks across the country,” Rogers said. “After almost five years of talks and extensions, the House and Senate will work to finalize a new Farm Bill. I am pleased to have the opportunity to represent the interests of the Alabama agriculture industry on the Farm Bill Conference Committee. I look forward to negotiating a long-term package that will help bring certainty to farmers, reduce spending and benefit Alabama.”
Alabama Farmer’s Federation President Jimmy Parnell said having two Members of Congress from Alabama serving on the Farm Bill conference committee gives the state a significant voice in ensuring strong farm policy.
“We are proud to have two members of Alabama’s congressional delegation serving on this important committee,” Parnell said in a statement. “U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers and Martha Roby are strong supporters of Alabama agriculture. They understand the urgent need to pass a farm bill, so farmers can make planting and financial decisions. We appreciate their work to provide long-term stability for farmers in a way that’s fiscally responsible.”
One of the numerous differences between the House and Senate bills is that the House bill separates food stamps from agriculture programs in the future by staggering the periods for which they are authorized. Food stamps would be authorized for three years, while agriculture programs would be authorized for five.
The House bill also seeks to pass a permanent law that would not require them to periodically review some agriculture programs.
Many conservative groups continue to express concerns that the Farm Bill subsidizes even minor losses for farmers. The House version of the bill caps those potential costs, while the Senate bill does not.
The Senate bill, however, connects crop insurance to conservation compliance. Several House Republicans have said that constitutes an infringement on private property rights.
The Heritage Foundation recently released a stinging critique of Congress’s approach to the Farm Bill:
Congress continues to treat agriculture as if it were 1933 instead of 2013. Agriculture is a cutting-edge sector of the economy that continues to innovate and produce more food with fewer resources.
Yet, every five years when the farm bill is up for renewal, many legislators, including those who claim to be pro–free market and limited government, push a farm bill that is a model of central planning. Agriculture policy continues to emphasize price supports, supply restrictions, import quotas, government-subsidized international marketing programs for major corporations, and much more. Quite simply, almost any subsidy that can be dreamed of exists in one form or another in the current farm bill.
Alabama’s massive farming industry will be watching closely to see what the conference committee comes up with.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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