Senate passes Farm Bill, now on to the House

Farm Bureau pleased with Senate’s passage of farm bill

            The bipartisan farm bill approved today by the U.S. Senate includes many provisions that are good for Indiana farmers and provides a valuable safety net, according to Indiana Farm Bureau President Don Villwock.

            “We will continue to work with the House to get the best bill possible for farmers across the state,” he said.

            “While no farm bill is perfect, this is a solid bill that was worthy of Senate approval,” noted American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman. “The bill includes important reforms and is fiscally responsible, while including important provisions to enhance crop insurance, maintain a viable marketing loan program and minimize the potential for farm program provisions to drive producer decisions.”

            As passed by the Senate, the bill provides $23 billion in savings, protects and strengthens the federal crop insurance program, and encourages farmers to use market signals rather than government programs to make planting decisions.

            The measure, which was approved on a bipartisan 64-35 vote, now moves to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Agriculture, which is expected to begin work in July.

            “We still have a lot of work to do but this is a good start,” Villwock said, adding that Farm Bureau would particularly like to thank Sens. Richard Lugar and Dan Coats for their support.