Speaking at a press conference last week marking the end of the government shutdown, President Obama cited the “need to pass a farm bill” as one of the items on the agenda that could “help strengthen our economy.” His remarks came just days after House of Representatives’ leaders named their members of a conference committee to work with senators to develop a final bill – signaling new momentum for the long-delayed legislation.
The House and Senate each approved versions of a new farm bill earlier this year, and each would continue to allow USDA to offer matching grant assistance to farmers who partner with local water utilities on projects to reduce the impacts of farming on the quality of nearby waters. These partnership grants are not expected to be the subject of significant debate during conference negotiations and will almost certainly remain in the final farm legislation. Instead, conferees will likely spend the most time working to bridge the $36 billion gap between the amount of food stamp spending authorized in the respective House and Senate farm bills. Congressional leaders hope agreement on a final farm bill will be reached before the end of the year.