The conversation around the 2023 farm bill has focused recently on a potential long-term extension, but House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson says he’d still like to get something done quickly.
“Producers, processors and consumers need to have a reauthorized farm bill as soon as we can get it done. I would love to see that happen in January,” he said on Agri-Pulse Newsmakers.
“I have refused to talk about an extension until recently, on purpose, because I didn't want that to distract us from doing our job of writing a highly effective farm bill,” he said.
The Pennsylvania Republican said he has been working with both Democrats and Republicans on ways to find funding for proposed farm bill programs.
“We've got 21 orphan programs that are not funded,” he said. “We've had a lot of great ideas that have come from both Democrats and Republicans, and many of those are bipartisan, but all of them lack funding.”
Nevertheless, he said he’s been “really pleased” that members of both parties have been “able to have a good, candid and discerning conversation.”
He said he also appreciates Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow’s “commitment to ... identify different pots of money to reprioritize. I really appreciate… the efforts that she has made with Senator [Chuck] Schumer as the Majority Leader in the Senate."
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Marshall Matz of OFW Law and Tom Sell of Combest, Sell & Associates joined the show to discuss the challenges of crafting – and passing – a new farm bill.
“The nutrition community is critical to the passage of the next farm bill,” Matz said. “You're not going to get a farm bill without support of urban members, without support of the anti-hunger community.”
“This is going to be a very, very tricky farm bill to draft, and it's unclear to me even what year they're going to be drafting it in,” he said.
Sell sounded a note of optimism. "I think there will be a way that this can come together, either early in the next year or certainly by the first/second quarter timeframe.”
To see the full conversations with Thompson, Matz and Sell, visit Agri-Pulse.com.
