Earlier this week, South Dakota Senator John Thune and South Dakota Representative-at-large Kristi Noem discussed the upcoming Farm Bill. The long anticipated 2012 Farm Bill, which will replace the nearly $300 billion 2008 Farm Bill, has long been a source of speculation. Senators, Representatives, and farm organizations like the Farm Bureau have attempted to shape final bill that will be passed next year.

However, the last several months have given American farmers remarkable insight into the future of the Farm Bill. The economic recession of 2008, combined with present Congressional fears of deficit spending, have lead many experts to predict a sparse Farm Bill that significantly cuts spending across the board.

Statements by two of South Dakota’s Congressional representatives have only entrenched this fear. In a meeting with agricultural leaders in Rapid City, South Dakota, Thune and Noem stated that high farm commodity prices, combined with a larger agricultural economic boom, would only embolden efforts to cut agricultural funding from the upcoming Farm Bill and from upcoming budgets.

“Because of the good farm economy, this farm budget is a huge target right now for cuts,” Thune told his audience. However, both Thune and Noem reassured farm leaders that they would do their best to make sure that agricultural spending is not disproportionally cut in upcoming budgets.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer