(MN Farm Bureau President – Dan Glessing)
The temporary extension of the U-S Farm Bill that was enacted last December expired earlier this week, though language in the extension keeps key components funded for now.
The federal government shutdown is now the latest roadblock to passage of a new 5-year Farm Bill.
Minnesota Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing, who also farms here in Wright County, says while producers have been patient, continued lack of progress is frustrating for many farmers…
“There’s a lot of the programs that continue to the end of the year, and so, really, if we can get something done by then, that is the continued emphasis. I’ll be out there two weeks from now, and that will be our message, that farmers have been patient long enough, it is time to get this thing done. When I put a seed in the ground in the spring, I expect to see something by the fall, and this should be no different. We put the seeds in the ground on this several years ago, as to what we could use as far as tweaks and some fixes to the current Farm Bill, and it’s about time we see some growth there.”
Since many lawmakers are not even in Washington at present, gaining any ground on new Farm Bill language may continue to be slow at best, as most of the current focus for now will be getting congress to agree on a resolution to the federal budget stalemate.
(Audio in the on-air story courtesy, Linder Farm Network)
