News Room

Harkin schedules farm bill consideration for week of September 17

DTN Political Correspondent Jerry Hagstrom reported that, "Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is likely to schedule committee consideration of a new farm bill the week of Sept. 17 and hopes that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will schedule floor action on the bill shortly thereafter, a Harkin spokeswoman told DTN in an e-mail.

"The spokeswoman said that the committee would not be ready to consider the bill until the third week of September because senators just returned to Washington this week and will be in session next week for only three days because of a break for the Jewish holidays.

"The content of the Senate bill is still uncertain. Harkin has said he wants more money for conservation programs, especially the Conservation Security Program, as well as boosts in funds for food stamps and rural development programs. But Senator Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Senator Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., the highest ranking Republican on the committee, have said they are more concerned about maintaining current subsidy programs."

Mr. Hagstrom also explained that, "The Senate farm bill debate could also be affected by trade negotiations if the United States offers to make deeper cuts in farm subsidies. President Bush and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab are under pressure from other world leaders to offer deeper cuts in U.S. farm subsidies. Bush and other world leaders have said they would like to revive the Doha round talks, but many analysts say that there is little likelihood of serious movement in the talks until 2009."

Meanwhile, Tom Steever reported yesterday at Brownfield that, "Iowa's GOP Senator is ratcheting up pressure to have federal farm payment limits included in the farm bill. Charles Grassley says he and North Dakota Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan sent a letter warning Senate Agriculture Committee members that a lack of payment limit reforms will jeopardize support for a farm safety net, which Grassley says is badly needed."

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