Farm Bill On Hold

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Some Wisconsin farmers say they are frustrated that they will have to wait a bit longer for the passage of the next Farm Bill.

The 2012 farm bill was supposed to start October 1st. House leaders failed to put the legislation up for a vote before adjourning this week. Western Wisconsin producer Kevin Hoyer is waiting for the new farm bill because it contains a program that allows farmers mostly to self-insure their operations. He says they want to be as self-sufficient as possible. “They have skin in the game. They have money at stake, and we’re not asking for a handout from the government.”

Farmers interviewed for this story say they are concerned that adequate disaster aid will not be available to farmers until the new farm bill is passed. Others are worried important programs will expire like the Milk Income Lose Program.

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Some farm organizations have not given up hope on seeing a new Farm Bill soon. Karen Gefvert is with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. She believes there will be a farm bill or extension before the end of the year. “The political reality is they have to have something. And, whether that be an extension we don’t advocate for, or it’s a passage of the farm bill, or some sort of compromise or passage by the senate of the disaster assistance bill that went through, we believe there will be something to provide an adequate safety net in order to bridge what happens between now and then politically.

Reports out of Washington Thursday quote House Speaker John Boehner as saying the House will deal with the farm bill after the November election.

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