Does the House have what it takes to pass a bipartisan vote that has meaning in farm country? We hopefully will soon find out. The House has been able to pass legislation to repeal Obama's health care law 37 times, but the issue of farm and nutrition policy has deeply divided both caucuses. There's been plenty of role playing from both sides of the aisle over the past year as to whether the Republican leadership wanted a farm bill to be on display on the House floor through…

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It really shouldn't be a surprise that Senate Agriculture Committee chairwoman Debbie Stabenow's new farm bill dance partner Sen. Thad Cochran may not be as graceful as last year's. Stabenow and Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., seemed to pull off the impossible last year in a Senate deeply divided and debate stymied by partisan politics. After last year's Senate farm bill debate and passage, I had a renewed sense of pride in the way our government works. Bipartisan…

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After several days of markup, the Senate Judiciary Committee completed work on its comprehensive immigration reform bill ahead of the Memorial Day recess, including a monumental compromise agreed upon between farm workers and the ag industry which includes forming a new ag visa program and path to citizenship for an estimated 1.4 million current undocumented farm workers. The 13-5 approval out of committee sets the stage for Senate action expected to last for most of June, as Senate…

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The Senate began consideration of S. 954, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013. Unlike last year when cloture votes and holds on votes limited farm bill debate to just a few days, this year Senators spent last week making floor statements on amendments with only voting on a total of 12 of the nearly 200 filed so far. The plan from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appears to be a desire to tackle the majority of the amendments agreed upon by Senate Agriculture Committee…

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Over a hundred amendments were proposed as part of the farm bill markup in each the House and Senate, bringing some discussion on topics to act as place markers for the floor debate, as well as inclusion in the Committees marks. Here are a handful of issues tackled under the leadership of Senate Agriculture Committee chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and House Agriculture Committee chairman Frank Lucas. Nutrition The Senate offers $23 billion in savings, with $4 billion coming from…

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Let the debates begin! The House and Senate Agriculture Committees will give us this year's first full dive into whether any major changes will be acted on from last year's farm bill discussion when they begin markups on their bills. In today's political environment, there isn't always the opportunity for open debate. But that won't be the case May 14 in the Senate Agriculture Committee and May 15 in the House Agriculture Committee when leaders will allow for open…

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) required the USDA to improve its country-of-origin labeling law after a challenge was brought by Canada and Mexico. The proposed rule has already received threats of retaliation measures from the two, however supporters of COOL said those threats are overstated and stand behind the proposed rule. USDA has until May 23 to issue a final rule, and Roger Johnson, National Farmers Union president expects the agency to meet that deadline. The comment period…

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After decades of low prices and farm programs based on low prices, former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman predicted those days are over. "That doesn't mean we'll have heaven on earth," he said, but it will offer stability to farmers as well as rural communities and businesses. But that too will require new focus on other areas to offer the greatest bang for agriculture's buck, Glickman shared with rural development leaders as he keynoted the Senate…

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House Agriculture Committee chairman Frank Lucas, (R-Okla.), will again spearhead the debate of the next farm bill as he scheduled markup of the farm bill for May 15. General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee chairman Rep. Mike Conaway, (R-Texas), told ag journalists that last year's day-long marathon farm bill markup in the House that lasted from 10 a.m. until the early hours of the morning was the "best legislative day" he's ever experienced on the…

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It's no secret in the countryside that the Environmental Protection Agency may not have the best interests of the agricultural community in mind, and its rules and actions continue to confirm the bad stereotype the agency holds. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing Thursday on the nomination of Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). During questioning from members, she recognized the strain between the agricultural community…

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