After more than a year of delays and after two expired farm bills, agricultural advocacy groups across the country are unloading on Congress, venting months of frustration on a body that has become so dysfunctional that it cannot keep the federal government open.
For more than a year, the farm bill has remained stalled in Congress unable to pass through intense partisan gridlock. While the US Senate has managed to pass two bipartisan farm bills, the House has steadfastly refused to debate those measures. While this summer represented the first time that the House has managed to pass new farm legislation, it is almost certain that their bill will not be approved by the Senate, leaving farmers in a precarious situation.
Conservation and farm advocacy groups are lambasting the Congress’ irresponsibility, claiming that the lack of a new farm bill could threaten the economic and ecological health  of the farm sector.
“Congress has allowed the federal farm bill to expire, ending the legal authorization for the federal government to administer our nation’s most basic and important farm programs which help farmers reduce costs and protect the environment on millions of acres of farmland, forests and rangeland across the United States,” said Andrew McElwaine, president of the American Farmland Trust.
“[The Farm Bureau is] deeply concerned over the political challenges that are making it next to impossible for Congress to reach a compromise on important legislation, while restoring fiscal order and setting a responsible course to get the federal budget back on track,” said Farm Bureau president Bob Stallman.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer