Michigan farmers are waiting to see if Congress can reach a deal soon on a new Farm Bill.
The U.S. Senate passed its version of the nearly trillion dollar, five year Farm Bill on Monday. The U.S. House continues to work on its own version of the bill, which funds crop insurance and other programs for farmers, along with food assistance for the needy.
The Farm Bill has been stalled in Congress for more than a year. And that has made it difficult for Michigan farmers to plan for the future.
“I think farmers are focused on this year and the weather situation,” says Bob Boehm, the manager of the Michigan Farm Bureau’s Commodity and Marketing Department, “Longer term…that’s where they would like to have more certainty.”
Boehm hopes the House will pass its version of the Farm Bill soon, so a conference committee can start working out a compromise that could pass this fall.
