The Senate left Washington on Thursday without voting to move the farm bill forward to conference, or even naming conferees. Politico says those were two goals that Ag Chair Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow wanted to get done before Senators left town. Politico says the delay could be a result of a number of different things, including backdoor, …
Ag Committee Leaders Meet to Discuss Farm Bill
Senate Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts, Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, House Ag Chair Michael Conaway, and Ranking Member Collin Peterson met about the farm bill conference. The meeting took place even though the Senate hasn’t voted to go to conference. The Hagstrom Report says, “The Big Four,” as they’re sometimes called, issued a brief joint statement that didn’t mention any …
Roberts Honored with International Trade Award
For his work to fight for open markets for American agriculture, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas was presented the Congressional Leadership Award by the Washington International Trade Association. Presented to the Republican this week, the award recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions in the field of international trade. In accepting the award, Roberts, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, …
U.S. House Holds Next Move on Farm Bill
Senator Pat Roberts points out that the U.S. House has the next move on the farm bill. The Senate Agriculture Committee chairman told a group of veteran farmers this week that the farm bill conference should begin “soon,” according to the Hagstrom Report. However, Roberts says the House must make the next move by rejecting the Senate version of the …
Farm Bill Conference Could be Slow
Lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill this week but getting the farm bill to the finish line may be a slow process. The Hagstrom Report speculates the process will be sluggish, based on statements from the office of Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. His office stated: Chairman Roberts “looks forward” to working with his counterparts to “provide …
Certainty with Senate Farm Bill
The Senate Ag Committee passed a bipartisan farm bill in under three-hours Wednesday, adding just a handful of amendments. The 20-1 vote was in stark contrast to the purely partisan effort in the House Ag Committee. In a joint statement, Committee leaders Pat Roberts and Debbie Stabenow said the bipartisan farm bill process “is a reminder of how things should work …
Senate Agriculture Committee Leaders Find Common Ground in Bipartisan Farm Bill
U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., released the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. The Committee will meet to consider the legislation at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time on June 13. You will be able to click here to watch live. “When Ranking Member Stabenow and I started this journey in Manhattan, Kansas, last year, we made …
Target Date Set for Senate Farm Bill Introduction
Senate Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts has set a date for introducing the Senate Farm Bill, with full debate to take place the following week. A Feedstuffs Dot Com article says Roberts made the announcement at a farm bill forum in his home state, alongside Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue and fellow Kansas Senator Jerry Moran. Roberts says he has a …
Senate Farm Bill Markup Expected Soon
As the House of Representatives debates its version of the farm bill this week, the Senate is expected to hold a markup session on its version soon. Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts recently told the Hagstrom Report that the Senate should be ready to announce a markup date next week. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota who sits on …
Senate Ag Leaders Introduce Bipartisan Farmer Veteran Legislation
Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee are touting legislation that will help veterans in agriculture. Introduced by Committee Chair Pat Roberts and ranking Democrat Debbie Stabenow, the Farmer Veteran Opportunity Act of 2018 makes all new veterans eligible for support from the Department of Agriculture. The Senators say the bill also improves access for farmer veterans across eight existing initiatives …