WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss), ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry commission, offered assurance on Friday that the farm bill is making progress.
He said lawmakers hope to pass the new, five-year farm bill early next year.
“I’m pleased to say that we are making progress, but there are still decisions that lie ahead of us,” Cochran said. “I am hopeful that on both sides of the aisle in both bodies, we can come together on a farm bill agreement that will reform and modernize programs, produce budget savings at the same time, and provide certainty about the government’s role to producers and consumers alike.”
Chief negotiators for both side have been meeting since the first farm bill conference on October 30th, and hope to have an agreement that can be considered next month by the conference committee and then both houses of Congress.
“We have been working to reach an agreement on a new, five-year farm bill that we can take to the House and the Senate and, in collaboration and working through our differences, make progress and establish a framework for our agriculture sector to continue to contribute in an important way in the economic life of our nation,” Cochran said.
The agriculture industry makes up over 20 percent of Mississippi’s total economy.
