According to top lawmakers and inside experts, competing interests and inflation will pose big challenges in writing the 2023 Farm Bill.  The challenge as it is every go-around, is money.  And that’s especially true for next year’s bill.

 

"There’s going to be a real attempt to increase conservation, to increase some of the support levels for some of the commodity programs because those levels are so low compared to current market prices and compared to the current cost of production," said Former USDA Deputy Secretary and National Council of Farmer Cooperatives’ head Chuck Connor.  "This creates an enormous divide. Can you get any votes in the House and Senate Democratic caucus and touch the nutrition programs? I think that’s an open question.”

 

But a question that Connor says much be answered.

 

“You can’t do a farm bill with just rural voters in the House of Representatives. And certainly, that’s true in the Senate. It’s got to be not only bipartisan, but you’ve got to have both urban and rural interests come together in order to have a reasonable bill.”

 

But Connor said he’s anticipating a lot of pressure from the new GOP majority to cut spending; and from Democrats to have the most climate-friendly Farm Bill ever.  Connor noted that he places great faith in the current team of “seasoned Ag leaders” Glenn Thompson, David Scott, on the House side, and Debbie Stabenow, and John Boozman in the Senate to deliver a 2023 Farm Bill. 

 

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