The House did their job by passing its version of the Farm Bill earlier this spring and now we’re hearing that the Senate Ag Committee is scheduled to mark up and vote on their version Thursday.
“You know, the Farm Bill expires at the end of the fiscal year, September 30th,” says Congressman Jim Baird, an Indiana Republican who serves on the House Ag Committee. “So, it’s important that we get it done.”
Baird says the pressure is on Senate Ag Committee members and all members of the Senate to make a Farm Bill happen.
“This has been a challenging year for the farm community and for agriculture in general because of cost of inputs, the prices of commodities, and so on. So, we really need this safety net that’s created by the Farm Bill.”
Baird was encouraged to hear that year-round E15 was included in the Senate version after earlier versions omitted it.
“E15 is probably the fastest way for us to generate income in the farm community when we’re talking about upside-down commodity prices. And it’s a quick way to resolve the issue. If we can get E15 year-round, we utilize a lot more corn. That really improves the economy because that goes right into the price per bushel that’s being paid for a corn crop.
Baird mentioned the end of the fiscal year on September 30th. Congress is already working toward funding the government beyond that point to avoid another shutdown like what occurred a year ago, something that some USDA and other federal agency employees are concerned about. And Baird says rightfully so.
However, Baird says, “I think there’s real effort on both sides—bicameral and bipartisan—to make sure that we don’t let that happen. Because every time we do that, in my opinion, it costs us money. As far as taxpayers, it costs money. But it really hurts some of the people that are the least involved in the process, and they end up paying the price.”
Baird specifically pointed to TSA agents and air traffic controllers.
Baird was in West Lafayette Monday meeting with several farmers at an Indiana Corn Growers Association and Indiana Soybean Alliance Shop Talk event.
