Conaway Wants Cotton and Dairy Fix on Any Must-Pass Bill

House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway says Congress should attach provisions to help cotton and dairy farmers to any must-pass bill before the farm bill comes up.

Speaking at the Crop Insurance Industry Annual Convention Monday in Phoenix, Arizona, Conaway signaled that he is no longer focused on just convincing the Senate to include the aid in the disaster bill, according to the Hagstrom Report.

Conaway told the audience he has found a way to fix the cotton program in the farm bill, but adds that “dairymen need help now.” He says that Title 1, the commodity title of the farm bill, is “on hold until we see what we get on a must-pass bill.” Conaway says he would take any bill that has to get to the president’s desk for signature. As for the farm bill, he says “the good news” is Congress does not have to make mandatory cuts, like the 2014 farm bill, noting farm bill spending has decreased $100 billion since 2014. Conaway says Senate Ag Chair Pat Roberts would like to bring up the bill in March, but that it probably won’t be ready.

From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.