Farm Bill Extension-Newhouse Pt 1

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. 2023 did not see the creation of a new Farm Bill in Congress, as is scheduled every five years.

U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse says the effort was there and it was disappointing, but there will be significantly more focus on the crafting of a new Farm Bill early in the new session …

NEWHOUSE … “Through the Continuing Resolution that was passed, and extension to the Farm Bill was also part of that package, that brought the deadline to September of next year. But that doesn’t mean we wait until August to start working on this.”

Newhouse says he feels confident Farm Bill passage will get a lot more attention early on in the new year …

NEWHOUSE … “The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Thompson, because I asked him about this, and he said he wants to get this done early in the year. So, he’s continuing to work on this. This does give us a little more time, but I’m hopeful, and I’ll be pushing to make sure that we get it done early in 2024 and not wait until the end.”

Waiting, especially during an election year when so much is going on, Newhouse says would help no one …

NEWHOUSE … “So many things depend on getting a Farm Bill passed. And you’re right, the longer we wait the more, I guess you could say, politics enters into the equation, and it makes it more difficult to get anything done.”

Tune in tomorrow for what it’s going to take to get a new Farm Bill done next year, and if it will happen early in the session before election year heats up.