Flinchbaugh: Congress Will Pass A Workable Farm Bill This Year

In a farm bill panel discussion, Barry Flinchbaugh, ag economist at Kansas State University, was confident that a farm bill compromise will be reached this year. “This new farm bill will have a marketing loan in it, it will have a fixed payment in it, it will have a countercyclical payment in it, and it be conservation orientated. We will pass a workable bill this year,” he said.

The former chairman of the 21st Century Commission on Agriculture, which was given the task of compiling post “Freedom to Farm” options, says that there is more agreement between the House and Senate, Congress and the Administration, and between Republicans and Democrats than we have been led to believe. “There is agreement on the four basic elements of the new farm bill: A marketing loan, a fixed payment, a countercyclical payment and a renewed emphasis on conservation.  That is a remarkable amount of agreement, nine months before the current farm bill expires,” he said. The compromise that will have to occur is relatively minor on the level of the loan rate and on the level of fixed payment, as well as whether a countercyclical payment should be based on price or based on farm income, Flinchbaugh said.