Farm Bill Up in House Ag Committee This Week, Then What

The House Agriculture Committee will meet Wednesday to consider the draft discussion 2012 Farm Bill from Chairman Frank Lucas and Ranking Member Collin Peterson. It's anticipated the committee could do its work on the measure fairly quickly - but beyond that - things are up in the air for the farm bill in the House. Majority Leader Eric Cantor has been quoted as saying he wants to push the pause button on the bill - and there are reports it could be difficult to convince House leaders to schedule floor time for the farm bill. Ag Committee member Kristi Noem of South Dakota recently stated an extension of current farm policy may still be necessary because of the challenge of getting things done in Washington in an election year. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has warned that an extension would fail to provide the clarity farmers and ranchers need. He has said it could even stop the economic growth in rural America. If an extension can be easily done - according to Vilsack - so can a bill.

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