So, the federal midterm elections have come and gone. Republicans have taken the majority in the House of Representatives and picked up six seats in the Senate. What does this spell for agricultural interests and the agriculture lawyer dealing with federal legislative issues?
It spells a murky farm bill discussion. This next Congress will be charged with the task of passing the next farm bill, including the dairy title.
While it is still too early to know many of the details about the membership of the respective agriculture committees or to determine the content and procedure for completing the farm bill, the little that we do know does provide some guidance.
We know that Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan will chair the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Nutrition. In the House, Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas will be the chair. Other positions will be announced as the new term approaches.
As for the content of the farm bill, we are, in many respects, starting from a clean slate. What, if anything, will be utilized from the hearings held by the current House Agriculture Committee is unclear. Almost certainly, the new committees will hold their own hearings before the debate begins on the bill in earnest.
If that sounds like it could take some time, it does. I have personally heard some musing about punting the discussion into last year, which would be similar to the path taken by the agriculture farm bill.
The scope of existing programs, as well as any new programs, will be determined in large part by the federal budget. Total spending under the new farm bill will likely be at or below the levels of previous years. That’s good news for budget hawks and poses potentially sticky decisions for supporters of farm programs.
Turning to dairy-specific aspects of the farm bill, the principal legislative initiatives are National Milk Producers Federation’s Foundation for the Future (FFTF) and the Costa-Sanders Bill on supply management. Other comprehensive and targeted provisions will be introduced and discussed.
As FFTF has been developed and promoted, its total costs have been reported to be less than the current programs that it seeks to replace. We will now watch to see how these little pieces of information fit into the big picture as we get ready to turn over the calendar once again.
