An Illinois Democrat says getting a bipartisan farm bill done this year is “critically important” and that she is optimistic Congress can pass new legislation before the September deadline included in last year's extension.
“I think that there will continue to be cooperation on the House Agriculture Committee to meet this moment to get this done,” Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., said on this week’s Agri-Pulse Newsmakers.
In her meetings with House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., she says nutrition and conservation spending are two of the main issues that come up in dialogue. House Ag Republicans have said they want to pursue funding changes involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and conservation programs through the farm bill, but Budzinski said Democrats have no intention of giving ground in those areas.
The Inflation Reduction Act allocated close to $20 billion in funding for climate-smart conservation practices, and Budzinski says she wants to ensure those dollars continue to be used for those.
“What I've seen in going back home and talking to my Agricultural Advisory Council is a real need to use those dollars back [in] Illinois on conservation practices,” said Budzinski, adding “We know that [Environmental Quality Incentives Program] applications are denied, not because of lack of interest or lack of need, but because of oversubscription.”
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Budzinski’s other farm bill priorities include funding for agricultural research and creating another pilot program to support new and beginning farmers.
“We need to be thinking about what that pipeline is coming up behind our family farmers,” said Budzinski.
Farm policy consultant Ferd Hoefner and RJ Karney, senior director of public policy at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, were also on this week’s show to further dissect the farm bill timeline.
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