Senate to begin farm bill debate

WASHINGTON -- On Thursday, the Senate agreed to proceed to floor consideration of the 2012 Farm Bill (S. 3240), by voting 90-8 (30 more than the 60 votes required) on the petition which allows the bill to proceed. Debate is expected to begin on June 12.

As it now stands, the Senate bill contains very important provisions supported by the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA), such as continued funding for block grants, research, and pest and disease priorities.

The bill features several positive provisions for specialty crops, including nursery and greenhouse crops, including:

• Mandatory funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI; Sec. 7305).
• Greater industry involvement and consultation during the review process of SCRI grants.
• Increased pest and disease program funding, which is used for innovative efforts to identify and block threats before they get to the U.S., and to quickly detect and respond to new threats that do get here (Sec. 10007). 
• Continued funding for the National Clean Plant Network (also within Sec. 10007).
• Increased funding for Specialty Crop Block Grants to $70 million per year (Sec. 10008).

The current farm bill will expire at the end of September, and if Congress fails to pass new legislation or a temporary extension of the current law, farm policy would revert to the provisions of the 1949 law. Leaders of the House Agriculture Committee have signaled that they expect to begin work in committee on their version of the bill – but the House will not move unless the Senate passes a bill.

The Senate bill contains significant changes from previous farm bills, including the replacement of direct payments to row-crop producers with a revenue protection plan, and a strengthened crop insurance program. Next steps will depend in part on the number – and quality – of amendments to be debated, with many Southern senators opposing reductions in current row-crop payments. And several senators have said they intend to include other, unrelated defense and foreign policy proposals as part of the debate, including restrictions on Pakistan aid and Senator McCain’s push for the Pentagon to detail risks associated with year-end budget sequestration spending cuts.