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A farm bill extension simply isn’t enough

An ag business leader says the pollical divide in Washington is no reason to leave farm bill work unfinished.

President of the Michigan Agri-Business Association Chuck Lippstreu tells Brownfield, “Growers need certainty, rural businesses like our members need certainty.”

“Extending the bill, while an option, doesn’t provide them with that long term policy certainty that a new farm bill would,” he says.

Lippstreu says farm bills have a long-standing tradition of bipartisan support and more collaboration is needed to get the legislation passed by the end of the lame duck session.

“We continue to hope that leaders are going to break away from the idea of, for example, a one-year extension,” he says. “That leaves us as an industry wondering what the farm bill is going to look like for another year.”

The Michigan Agri-Business Association is part of a coalition of more than 500 agricultural organization pressing for farm bill action.

Lippstreu is also urging members of the ag community to press their elected officials for action.

AUDIO: Chuck Lippstreu, Michigan Agri-Business Association