Farm Bill Talks Start Up Again Next Week [Oct. 30]

Oct 25, 2013

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Negotiations on the nation’s five-year farm bill are expected to resume next week. Members of the House and Senate agriculture committees are expected to reconcile the differences between the two competing versions of the proposed legislation.

The 1,000-page legislation covers food and farm policies. Progress on reaching a new farm bill has been stalled due to partisan divides over cuts to the food stamp program. Lawmakers from the two chambers will reconvene Wednesday, Oct. 30 to begin negotiating the bill.

While the two bills propose similar reforms to the farm program portion of the bill, such as eliminating direct payments, there are a number of obstacles that need to be overcome. Perhaps the biggest difference is cuts to the food stamp program. The Republican-controlled House has proposed a $40 billion cut to the nutrition program over 10 years, while the Democrat-led Senate propose a $4.5 billion cut.

Congress has until Jan. 1 to pass a new farm bill, otherwise parts of the policy will revert back to the 1940s law.

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.