Farm Bureau Encouraged by Senate Farm Bill Markup Schedule

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall today applauded the release of farm bill text and notice of a Senate Ag markup for next week.

“When you look across the spectrum of agriculture, there is one piece of legislation that touches almost every farm in America, and that’s the farm bill, so it’s time for Congress to get it done.

“We’re grateful to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman for releasing farm bill text and are encouraged that we can achieve a bipartisan bill that can get across the finish line. We appreciate the Administration’s call for Congress to move this process forward and urgently deliver a farm bill to the President’s desk.

"The bill includes important provisions beyond traditional farm bill program support, including authorizing the sale of E15 blended fuel year-round, expanding investments in specialty crops and measures to reduce input price volatility. We’re also calling on Congress to deliver a fix for interstate commerce issues as well as much-needed economic aid for agriculture.

“We’ve lost 200,000 farms in a decade, and a modernized farm bill will help stabilize the struggling farm economy. We’re calling on the Senate Agriculture Committee to advance the bill out of markup and send it forward for full Senate passage and ultimately the president’s signature.”