The expiration date of the current Farm Bill is now over a year ago.

It is a piece of legislation that touches so many areas of American life and sets priorities in areas ranging from raw materials, conservation and nutrition to rural development, forestry and energy .

One of Congressman Glenn Thompson’s main goals this term is finalizing the Farm Bill as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

The last Farm Bill, lasting five years, expired at the end of September 2023 and an extension was passed to extend it until the end of September 2024.

The House version of the Farm Bill – the Farm Food and National Security Act of 2024 – is more than 900 pages long.

What are the consequences of a delay of more than a year in this bill?

“The impact is that we are not able to legislate the new innovations we need” Thompson said in an interview with the Times Observer.

He said the goal was to negotiate the bill in a way “tripartite way” – Democrats, Republicans and an effort “to carry the voice of American agriculture and rural America. »

“The Farm Bill concerns everything rural” he pointed out.

So he explained how the House bill was negotiated “from the outside to the inside” – by drawing on outside voices from across the country rather than legislation emanating from Washington. This included nearly 100 listening sessions in 40 states and one territory, he said.

“The opportunity we’re missing is all these things we’ve learned (we need to) address,” » said Thompson. “What we’re missing is the opportunity to implement the policies that America needs.”

He specifically put risk management and workforce issues in that box and accused Senate Democrats of gaming the bill.

"I’m happy to say they don’t do that anymore," he added. “(We’ve) had better discussions over the last month.”

Thompson credited the groups of producers who came to Washington and “visited each office” bringing together bankers who raise concerns about agricultural financing and said that a meeting of the “four corners” – Thompson, Senate Ag President Debby Stabenow (D-Michigan) and Senate Ranking Members John Boozman (R-Arkansas) and Rep. David Scott (D-Georgia) held recently.

“I exposed him” » said Thompson. “We must achieve this…. I am very satisfied with the outcome of this meeting. There is a commitment to achieve this.

Last month, Boozman made a similar call, demanding a “rapid and urgent response” for emergency agricultural assistance, according to a statement from a Senate committee that described the Farm Bill negotiations as “at a standstill”.

“The next farm bill is the appropriate place to make needed long-term fixes to our agricultural safety net, but farmers need timely support to weather 2024 losses as they enter the winter months when they make planting decisions and secure financing for the next crop year. “, » said Boozman. “We must redouble our efforts to pass, before the end of the calendar year, a farm bill fit for this moment – ​​a bill that provides the support our farmers desperately need to stay in business.

“I am committed to sitting down with my counterparts for as long as it takes to reach an agreement that our members can support. »

Thompson said the one issue he doesn’t want to move forward on is “a safety net for farmers and ranchers.”

“For everything else, I have no red lines. I’ve been saying it for over a year. he continued. “I lacked a partner ready to negotiate in good faith. Part of the reason for this is that the Democrats relied on the odds in the elections.”

The House version passed out of committee in April “with a little bipartisanship” support.

“(There are) very few bills constructed in a more bipartisan or tripartite manner,” he said. “We had four measures led solely by Democrats. I looked at them… These 40 measures helped put agriculture back in the Farm Bill. They were good. They’re in there.

He said he hoped “Many issues will be resolved by mid-October,” noting that negotiations continue at staff and director level.

That would set the stage for a vote in November.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the farm bill “is a multi-year, omnibus bill that sets the stage for the nation’s food and agriculture systems.

“It includes several titles, or sections, that cut across policy areas including conservation, rural energy development, nutritional assistance, and aid to new and beginning farmers and ranchers.”

According to the Congressional Research Service, this bill spans several years and “governs a range of agricultural and food programs. It offers policy makers the opportunity to address agricultural and food issues in a comprehensive and periodic manner.