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U.S. House Ag Committee advances skinny farm bill

The U.S. House Ag Committee has passed a skinny farm bill.

U.S. Congressman Dusty Johnson from South Dakota tells Brownfield the markup process had a few “dust ups,” but that’s to be expected.

“The amendments made to the base texts, in almost every instance, were strong bipartisan amendments,” he says.

In the two-day markup, committee members debated base acre updates, adjustments to pesticide provisions and went back-and-forth as to whether nationwide, year-round E15 should be included in the bill.

Johnson, who also serves on the Rural Domestic Energy Council, says the E15 adjustment isn’t a decision for this committee. “It’s a decision for the Energy and Commerce Committee.”

The bill still features several provisions included in the draft released last month and that’s getting applause from ag groups.

The American Soybean Association, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and National Pork Producers Council, say it’s great to have a skinny farm bill that addresses the economic pressure and headwinds in ag, regulatory priorities and a fix for Prop 12. The groups stress the need for swift, bipartisan action in the U.S. House and Senate.

The bill passed the committee on a bipartisan vote, but Ranking Member Angie Craig didn’t vote for the bill, saying “it doesn’t restore lost markets or lower input costs. It doesn’t help American children, seniors and veterans afford their groceries or states and counties avoid an unfunded mandate to shift SNAP costs to them.”

Johnson says he’s optimistic there will be more bipartisan support as the bill is considered by the full U.S. House.

“I know that Chairman G.T. Thompson, Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise are in discussions about that. We have to get a sense of what will the votes, let’s make sure we’ve got the votes.”

Johnson says it’s unclear what will happen with a farm bill in the U.S. Senate. In a statement, Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman said he looks forward to continuing the farm bill process.