U.S. Sen.Debbie Stabenow of Michigan expects Congress will take up the farm bill this week.
Stabenow chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee. She’s been working on passing a farm bill for more than a year.
“This is very complicated,” says Stabenow. “(It) covers everything from bioenergy, production agriculture, trade, conservation, nutrition – all kinds of things. We’re very close.”
There have been numerous disputes holding up the bill. Disagreement over funding for food assistance programs has been the major stumbling block.
Stabenow says she will not support extending the current farm bill, which may mean higher prices at the supermarket if a new farm bill is not passed by the end of the month.
