(Radio Iowa) – The one-year extension of the Farm Bill expired yesterday (Monday) and the temporary spending package congress approved last week to keep the government operating through December 20th did not include even a temporary continuation of Farm Bill policies.
Two Republican congressmen from Iowa — Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra — serve on the House Ag Committee, which passed its version of the Farm Bill four months ago. Nunn wrote the House Speaker a letter, asking him to schedule a vote in the House before congress left town — and now congress won’t return until November 12th. Feenstra says given low commodity prices and declining farm income, congress needs to approve a new Farm Bill to deliver certainty and relief for Iowa agriculture.
Ryan Melton, the Democrat who’s running against Feenstra, says Feenstra is serving in the least productive U.S. House in modern history and the Farm Bill is long overdue.