WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — The Senate released its draft Farm Bill text last week, but Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman says it could still be some time before lawmakers take action.
“What we’d like to do is leave this out there for a couple of weeks, and then we’re going to come back after the two-week break, and during that period before August, work hard to actually have a vote and get it out of committee,” Boozman said.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says he is eager to see a Farm Bill passed, but he remains disappointed that several priorities were left out of the Senate draft.
“I’m disappointed that this draft excludes language on Proposition 12 and also leaves out a permanent year-round sale of E15,” Grassley said. “At my meetings in Eagle Grove last week, Iowans were really fired up about the importance of getting E15 over the finish line. That’s why I’m continuing to explore every possible avenue to get E15 passed into law.”
The Senate Farm Bill must still clear the Agriculture Committee before it can advance to the full Senate for a floor vote.
Grassley has also warned that a potential government shutdown later this year could further delay efforts to secure permanent year-round E15 sales.
Securing More Help for Specialty Growers
As Farm Bill negotiations continue, attention is also turning to the White House’s proposal for more than $11 billion in additional farm aid, which is drawing support from many agricultural groups — particularly in the specialty crop sector.
Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, joined us on Monday’s Market Day Report to discuss what the supplemental funding request could mean for specialty crop producers and the industry’s outlook moving forward.
In his interview with RFD News, Quarles said the package includes about $10 billion in economic relief and an additional $1.1 billion for disaster assistance in Florida.
“Overall, it’s a package of $10 billion for economic relief, and then add on an additional $1.1 billion for Florida for the natural disasters that they have suffered. Overall, it’s a little more than $11 billion. We’re not quite sure what the split will be, but the important thing is this is a signal from the administration to Congress saying, ‘Look, we’ve got to do more for agriculture. We only have to do more for specialty crops.’ Now it’s in Congress’s bucket to figure out exactly what those dollars are going to mean for specialty crops.”
Quarles said fruit and vegetable producers are seeking at least $5 billion in support under the proposal, and stressed that program design will be critical.
“For the fruit and vegetable industry, we have been asking—given the breadth of this crisis we’re facing—for no less than $5 billion under this package. Also, we’ve got to get the delivery mechanism right. If the program doesn’t address specialty crops, which are very different than the program crops, it’s not going to work.”
He said the challenges facing producers are widespread and persistent, adding that industry groups are pushing for targeted assistance.
“It’s really multifaceted. It’s kind of a perfect storm,” Quarles said. “You certainly have persistent inflation. You’ve got high input costs. Some of those inputs are coming from overseas, from foreign suppliers, like fertilizer, crop protection tools, those types of things. We’ve also had overall economic volatility that has caused some buyers to pull back on certain commodities. You’ve got a much bigger crop than normal for a number of different ag commodities, so a big supply, and then demand has been shaken a bit. Some of the tariff issues are still lingering out there. Overall, this has put together a very, very difficult economic situation for producers. We’re going to get past it, but we’re going to need the government’s help in order to ensure these family farms stay in business.”
Quarles said he remains optimistic the package will move forward, but warned that delays could have lasting consequences for producers.
“Absolutely. The reality of it is that we were very desperate for aid six months ago. That desperation has risen with every passing month,” he said. “The quicker Congress can settle on a number, get it to the president’s desk, and get relief out to family farms, the better. The worst thing that could happen is we don’t get this done, it doesn’t arrive in the right form, and you have farms permanently go out of business.”
He also praised the House version of the Farm Bill, calling it especially strong for specialty crops.
“Well, we’re really excited that House Agriculture Chairman Thompson produced a fantastic bill,” Quarles said. “It was the best Farm Bill we’ve ever seen for specialty crops.”
National Farmers Union Perspective on Farm Bill, E15
National Farmers Union President Rob Larew also weighed in on the Senate draft and broader farm policy outlook on Monday’s Market Day Report.
In an interview with RFD News, Larew said the release of the Senate proposal marks progress, but emphasized that significant improvements are still needed.
“Well, first of all, I think the big message is the fact that it is welcome news that the Senate is underway on the farm bill… Now that we’ve seen the House pass it, the Senate has now released its draft. I think that’s a really positive move. That said, we certainly have a lot of things that we’d love to see improved in this version of the farm bill.”
Larew pointed to ongoing global disruptions — including trade uncertainty and the war in Ukraine — as factors that continue to strain farm income and input costs.
“It’s a pretty small piece here, and as the world has changed pretty dramatically since the last farm bill was written… the fact is that safety net that underpins everything is still woefully inadequate.”
He said stronger safety net programs are needed to reduce reliance on ad hoc disaster aid.
“What we really need is a farm bill with a safety net that gives us certainty from one year to the next.”
Larew also addressed the White House’s proposed $11 billion aid package, calling it necessary in the short term but not a long-term solution.
“We’ve been in this cycle for a long time…I don’t think it’s sustainable to suggest that we’re going to have this kind of farm aid available year after year.”
On year-round E15 sales, Larew said momentum is strong across both parties and urged Congress to act.
“This should be the easiest lift possible… With all that support, it is way past time for Congress to do the right thing and get E15 legislation across the finish line.”
