Mike Naig, Iowa's agriculture secretary, told a group of farmers and ag business leaders in Bettendorf Tuesday he's confident Congress can come together on a farm bill by the end of the year.
The federal farm bill is a legislative package reauthorized every five years that includes programs relating to 12 agriculture-related categories, including farming, rural development, nutrition, conservation and forestry.
Republicans' fractious caucus and slim majority in the U.S. House has spelled difficulties for the leadership to bring together a majority on spending bills. Recently House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made a deal with the Biden administration and Democrats to raise the debt ceiling as a faction of Republicans opposed the deal for not cutting back enough on spending.
Naig said that deal going through gave him hope for progress on a farm bill.
"Farm bills are typically bipartisan. Of course, the cost of the farm programs and the food assistance programs will probably be the biggest debate factor," Naig said. "The fact that we just went through the debt ceiling discussion and actually came out of that with an agreement does give me some, actually some hope that we can get a bill done, maybe not by September, but by by the end of the year."
Crop insurance, in particular is "top of mind," Naig said, and one of the department's top priorities as discussions continue on the farm bill.
Another topic Naig hopes Congress tackles, he said, is taking action to prevent a California animal cruelty law that regulates livestock confinement practices from taking effect.
Proposition 12, passed by California voters in 2018, regulates how birthing sows, veal calves and egg-laying hens whose products are sold in California are confined.
The law requires that breeding sows that give birth to hogs sold for pork in California be given 24 square feet of space. Iowa and national farm groups say that violates constitutional protections that prevent states from restricting interstate commerce.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law in a 5-4 decision. Naig said he hoped Congress took up the issue in the farm bill but wasn't optimistic it would make it in.
Naig spoke about other "headwinds" facing farmers: profitability concerns in pork and dairy industry, rising interest rates, persistent inflation, record cash rents, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, trade uncertainty, drought and foreign animal disease threats.
Source: newspressnow.com
Photo Credit: GettyImages-Ron_ThomasE+
Categories: Iowa, Crops, Government & Policy, Livestock, Hogs