Agricultural News
Detrick Preaches Need For Farm Bill Conclusion- In the Field Video
Mon, 16 Sep 2013 04:23:02 CDT
Terry Detrick, president of American Farmers and Ranchers, wrapped up a series of meetings with Oklahoma lawmakers in Washington, D.C. this past week. It was part of the National Farmers Union fall fly-in arranged to meet Representatives and Senators as they returned from their summer recess.
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays caught up with Detrick as he was preparing to depart Washington. Click here for our earlier story with Detrick that includes our audio conversation. You can watch the video version of this story by clicking on the PLAY button in the video box below- as Detrick was the guest of Hays on his Saturday morning segment, In the Field, as seen on KWTV News9 in Oklahoma City.
The number one issue on their members' minds, Detrick says, is getting a farm bill passed as soon as possible. He said lawmakers also see the bill as a priority, but the opinions about the chances of it being finished soon seem to vary greatly from lawmaker to lawmaker.
"It depends on which side of the aisle you are talking to. Some are very pessimistic. Some are very optimistic. However, Congressman Lucas, chair of the House Ag Committee, still is emphatic, saying we will have a farm bill."
Detrick says Lucas is not optimistic that it will be done by the end of September when the current farm bill extension ends. He said that the 1949 permanent farm law would resume, but it would have no effect until January 1, 2014.
"So they really have from September 30 to January 1 to finalize a farm bill before the old '49 law would kick in. And that is another thing we are working on here. We want to keep the '49 law as a permanent law that, any time there is a farm bill that is not renewed by a specific time or extended, then it will revert back to the '49 law and everybody says, 'Boy, that would be impossible.'
"Well, we need that impossibility to hold over the Congress's heads so that they will get us a farm bill. That's been the insurance that we would get a farm bill."
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