A Farm Bill showdown on Capitol Hill

Late Wednesday afternoon, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., made an unexpected and unscheduled appearance at an Ohio Farm Bureau Forum to announce breaking news. Farm Bureau members were in Washington for their annual County Presidents Trip.

The forum has been hosted annually by Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, for 18 years. Ohio 18th District Rep. Zack Space, D-New Philadelphia, was speaking when Peterson arrived.

The 2007 Farm Bill has been logjammed in funding disputes between the House and Senate, as well as with policy disputes between the legislative bodies and the White House. Word circulating among OFB members was that the stalemate was likely to result in either the existing farm bill being extended indefinitely, or, more drastically, being allowed to expire, sending everything to the default levels set years ago without pricing supports.

"We're still trying to write a bill with money we don't have," Peterson said, referring to the fact that Ag Committee members are trying to account for funds which are not being made available without conditions attached by other interests in Congress. But, Peterson said Wednesday afternoon's negotiations showed enough promise that Congress voted to extend the old farm bill for 30 days in order to attempt to hammer out a final verion of the new bill. Peterson added that his intention was to either settle a new farm bill or write a brand new, stripped-down version of the bill which keeps all funding at the current baselines.

"We just told the Senate that if we don't get a decision by Friday morning about where the money is coming from, we will write a new baseline farm bill," Peterson said.

This move would, in effect, extend the old farm bill with a few corrections, including implementing a disaster program plan, although it would not include funding for it. Peterson said a negotiated bill would be hammered out by April 18, or else everything would default to permanent law. This would remove the subsidies, which are designed to even out market pricing. Unrestricted market pricing could send food prices sky high.