ASTA Urges Passage of Farm Bill before Looming Sept. 30 Deadline

On August 13, ASTA and a diverse group of banking, farm and conservation organizations sent a letter to leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees urging them to pass a new Farm Bill before the current bill expires on September 30.

Both the House and Senate passed versions of the Farm Bill over the summer. It took the House two tries, but it eventually advanced a bill on a party-line vote of 213-211, while the final vote count for the Senate bill was 86-11. Now, the two chambers have formed a Conference Committee charged with reconciling the differences between the two bills. You can find the list of House Republican members here, House Democrat members here, and the list of Senators here.

While Leadership has voiced a commitment to passing a new Farm Bill before the deadline, there are very few days remaining on the official legislative calendar between now and the end of September. The closer the November election looms, the more politics will come into play in Farm Bill negotiations. ASTA’s government relations staff will continue to engage with committee staff and members to ensure seed industry priorities are reflected in the final package.