Wisconsin Ag Connection - Farm Bill Passage Gets Mixed Reaction Among Wisconsin Circles

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Farm Bill Passage Gets Mixed Reaction Among Wisconsin Circles
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 06/22/2018

Response from legislators and farm groups are beginning to come in after the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved its version of the 2018 Farm Bill on Thursday by a vote of 213 to 211. The measure's passage means the Senate will have its turn to consider the package in the coming weeks.

The Wisconsin-based Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative explained in a statement that both the House and Senate bills include important priorities for dairy farmers, including support for market development programs and a strong farm safety net.

"Farmers need the certainty that a farm bill provides, so we are encouraged that the House took this critical step in moving the process forward," said Edge Board President Brody Stapel. "We appreciate the leadership of Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson and everyone who worked so hard to ensure the dairy community's needs were reflected in this legislation."

House Speaker Paul Ryan from Janesville weighed in, saying the bill includes critical reforms to nutrition benefits that close the skills gap, better equips the workforce and encourages people to move from welfare to work.

But La Crosse Congressman Ron Kind slammed his colleagues in the House for voting for the bill, calling it a 'blatant attack on Wisconsin's small and family farmers' because it includes taxpayer subsidies on large agribusinesses, while cutting vital conservation programs.

"We need a Farm Bill that will work for our family farmers in Wisconsin, not for powerful special interests in Washington," Kind said after he proposed several amendments to the bill, which were blocked by the House rules committee earlier in the day.

In fact, Democrats were unanimous in their opposition to the bill, with another 20 Republican members also voted against it.

Officially known as the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, the legislation is being considered critical to addressing the economic challenges facing the nation's farmers, while also making significant investments in opportunities for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients.

The American Farm Bureau called the farm package a big win for farmers because it makes improvements to risk management and crop insurance programs at a time when farm-income levels have slumped to decade lows. The nation's largest ag group also likes the so-called Goodlatte immigration bill, which would have included a guest worker provision for agriculture.

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