Farm Bill Future Remains Uncertain as Drought Concerns Reach Washington
With Congress looking to wrap up work in the next few weeks before the August recess, the outlook for the farm bill moving forward in the House of Representatives remains uncertain. Despite a strong bipartisan vote of 35-11 in favor of H.R. 6083, The Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act , in the House Agriculture Committee last week, the bill still has no scheduled time for consideration on the House floor.
The two biggest obstacles to consideration are the calendar and the upcoming election, which play off of one another. There are around 20 legislative days left before Congress goes in recess before the election, fewer if you exclude days where no votes will be held before 6:30 PM. In addition, election year Congresses typically do not pass any major legislation between Labor Day and Columbus Day. It is becoming more and more likely that the farm bill will be pushed back beyond November 6th, to be dealt with during a lame duck session of Congress.
One wildcard in farm bill timing, though, is how the drought gripping the country will influence the debate. The issue, which many of you across the country have been living over the last few months, finally caught the attention of policy makers this week as nearly every major news outlet has run stories on the drought. With forecasters predicting little relief in sight for much of the Corn Belt, expect to see members of Congress from the region and agricultural commodity groups increase the pressure for action on the farm bill.
EPA Withdraws Proposal to Increase CAFO Reporting
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last Friday that they are withdrawing their proposed rule that would have required concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to submit detailed Clean Water Act (CWA) information to EPA. The 2011 proposal was part of a settlement between EPA and environmental groups in the 5th Circuit CAFO rule case where the court struck down EPA’s duty to apply provisions in the CAFO rule.
EPA had agreed to take final action by July 13, 2012. In a statement released withdrawing the proposal, EPA said that “[a]lthough collecting CAFO information is important, the Agency believes an efficient approach that does not duplicate efforts is the appropriate next step. EPA will collect CAFO information using existing sources of information, including state NPDES programs and other programs at the federal, state, and local level to help ensure CAFOs are implementing practices that protect water quality.”
NCFC, along with animal agriculture groups, filed extensive comments on this issue and have been a part of ongoing conversations with the Administration, EPA and USDA ever since.
Washington Roundup: NCFC President to Testify on CFTC Rules; NCFC Announces Job Opening
- NCFC President to Testify on CFTC Rules: NCFC President and CEO Chuck Conner is slated to testify before a House Agriculture Committee hearing next week to look at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s oversight of the swaps and futures markets, and how the Commission is implementing the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. Conner will discuss implementation of rules on swaps that would have impacted the ability of co-ops to help their member-owners hedge risk. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 25 at 10:00 A.M. Live video can be found on the Agriculture Committee web site at http://agriculture.house.gov.
- NCFC Announces Job Opening: NCFC is currently seeking applications for the position of Manager, Communications and Member Relations. The staff member will assist with media outreach, public relations, social media, and member relations and development. Those interested in the position can contact Justin Darisse at jdarisse@ncfc.org for additional information.
Upcoming Events:
NCFC Meetings
- September 25-26, 2012—NCFC Executive Council Meeting—Liaison Hotel, Washington, D.C.
- October 4-5, 2012—NCFC LTA Subcommittee Chair & Vice Chair Meeting—Hyatt Regency Mission Bay, San Diego, Calif.
- November 14-16, 2012—NCFC Government Affairs Committee Meeting—Vintner’s Inn, Santa Rosa, Calif.
- February 6-8, 2013—NCFC 84th Annual Meeting—Westin Kierland, Scottsdale, Ariz.