Andrew Walmsley

If you ask the American Farm Bureau, they’ll tell you this is a key week for the 2018 farm bill, as House and Senate staff and principal negotiators try to bridge differences in time to pass a compromise bill.   "Basically by the middle or the end of the this week, we kind of got to get a compromise put together, if we want to hopefully in reality get a bill to the president’s desk,” said AFB

The U.S. House plans to vote later this week on a motion to enter negotiations with the Senate on the farm bill, setting the stage for a likely September conference.  The House plans to vote by this Thursday on a procedural motion to go to conference with the Senate on House Resolution 2.  Bu...

The final push for a 2018 Farm Bill is expected to start next week, but any relief for producers from tariff retaliation will have to wait.  American Farm Bureau’s Andrew Walmsley expects some movement on the Farm Bill to start very soon.   “...

Senate passage of the farm bill moves the legislation closer to the finish line.         If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com

As of last week, the fate of the House Farm Bill remained in limbo because of disagreements over the immigration debate.  This while Senate Ag leaders unveiled their farm bill proposal, which is set for committee action on Wednesday.  House GOP leaders are working to break an immigration impasse within their party’s ranks.  American Farm...

The Senate Agriculture Committee will consider its version of the Farm Bill next Wednesday.  Andrew Walmsley, American Farm Bureau Federation congressional relations director, says this is an encouraging step.   “All good signs as the ranking member, and Chairman Roberts met afternoon to walk through the bill.  I believe the...

Efforts are underway to resurrect the House farm bill after last week’s defeat, triggered, according to some by an unrelated fight over immigration reform.  American Farm Bureau’s Andrew Walmsley said this wild farm bill ‘ride’ in the House isn’t over yet, after 30-GOP conservatives sunk the bill, as he put it, in a bid to win a votes on tough immigration reforms.   "There are a lot of peopl.

Farm and livestock groups continue to fight for an exemption from emergency reporting of manure emissions, after the EPA lost a federal court decision to environmental groups that sued over the exemption.  An appeals court in DC denied a request by pork, poultry and other livestock and farm groups to rehear its rejection of an EPA exemption from 2008 U.S. m...