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Ag lobbyist sees path for farm bill passage by year-end

Now that the U.S. government is funded through mid-December, an ag lobbyist says the U.S. Senate has time to work on a farm bill.

Randy Russell with The Russell Group tells Brownfield he’s optimistic about the vote that’s expected again in the Senate Ag Committee when senators return next week, as two more committee members could be present.

“When they come back, they will report the U.S. Senate’s version of the farm bill out of the ag committee, which would set up the possibility then of staff trying to work out differences with a post-election session and then, try to add that to a must-pass bill.”

Russell says that must-pass bill could be an omnibus spending bill in the lame duck session of Congress. He says currently, the odds of getting a farm bill done by the end of the calendar year is higher than 50 percent.

“Look, this is already three years past due. We are facing the potential of one of the larger changes in the membership in terms of makeup of the big four, the chair and the ranking member of the committee,” he says. “I also think it’s going to be a kind of a long haul if we don’t get it done.”

Once both chambers of Congress adjourn in September, they aren’t expected to return to Washington D.C. until after the elections in mid-November.