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Farmers Union leader wants farm bill titles kept together

Some lawmakers are considering putting the commodity and crop insurance titles from the unfinished farm bill into other legislation to get them done, but some farmers oppose that.

Commodities under Title I and crop insurance under Title XI might get added to either the disaster aid package or the continuing resolution, just to get these critical pieces done, but Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden says pulling them away from the main farm bill is a bad idea. He tells Brownfield, “I think we need to try to keep it together, you know, because once you start separating a couple of titles, pretty soon, everything is going to get separated and that really puts a lot of the programs in jeopardy, especially on a year like we’re going into where nobody is going to want to spend any money.”

Von Ruden says this puts other farm bill elements including the nutrition programs at risk.

He says not having a farm bill or extension would revert to old permanent law. “It would be great for farmers for a while because pay prices are going to double or triple, but in the end, it’s going to really affect the consumer, and consumers are our customers, and if we don’t take care of them, then we’re all in trouble.”

Von Ruden spoke to Brownfield during the Wisconsin Farmers Union’s 94^th Annual Convention in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.