The farm bill gamble could be costly

[LiberalAndProud]

http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/the-farm-bill-gamble-could-be-costly/42785.html

A long, bitter year in the long, bitter Congressional session drifted into the campaign season with the U.S. House of Representatives unable or unwilling to butter the softest piece of legislative toast before them, the 2012 Farm Bill.

Speaker of the House John Boehner attempted to telegraph that likely outcome two months ago as Congress ran out of town for its August recess.

That he couldn’t organize his caucus for a farm bill vote at the height of a devastating drought was a surprise. A far bigger surprise was Boehner’s failure to organize his members for a farm bill vote after the recess’s five weeks of jabbering and jawboning.

Are we to believe that the Speaker of the House is so powerless in his own caucus that he cannot pat enough knees or twist enough arms to pass a pretty bipartisan, mostly non-controversial farm bill that would likely benefit every GOP candidate in every reliably red state in rural America this November?

I've heard rumors that some of rural folk aren't too happy with their congress-critters. It would be a triumph of karma to have this little oversight bite them on the ass.

[DURHAM D]

1. One can only hope.

I read a couple of daily papers in the midwest and this (Republican Reps on vacation instead of dealing with a bill that has expired and only comes up every 5 years) is not being talked about in the local news.

OTOH - the farmers and ranchers themselves are connected and know what is going on. Non-farmers and ranchers not so much.

[LiberalAndProud]

2. It came up in a conversation today.

Varilek in South Dakota is talking about it.

Former U.S. Senate aide Matt Varilek called the failure of the U.S. House to pass the farm bill this summer “disgraceful and irresponsible.”

The Democrat, who is challenging first-term U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., said, “It’s true it usually doesn’t get done on time. But they typically pass an extension while they hash out the details so we just don’t leave farmers and ranchers high and dry. It’s taken the dysfunction of Congress to new heights to not pass a farm bill or an extension while they are home campaigning for office while farmers are left with no certainty and expired programs.”

Varilek also said Noem failed to convince her tea party freshmen colleagues, “many of whom think of it as welfare to farmers,” to stop blocking the bill from reaching the House floor.

Anecdotally, there is some evidence that this is an issue that could hurt Noem at the polls.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Another GOP fail.

Now days every farmer is so dependent on the US dept of Ag. These folks are carrying so much debt,that,any major reduction in subsides,will cause farm foreclosures greater than the 1980's. Only the big corporate guys like Cargill,Bunge,ADM and the Mormon church will survive and buy up the foreclosures at pennies on the dollar. All about big business and control of the food supply. Does this surprise anybody?

Today's farmers and ranchers,farm the programs and this why our Ag industry is headed for a big collapse. Notice all the cheap interest or no interest money available for equipment purchases. The Banks new bubble and it's going to blow up with out a real farm program. I wouldn't want to be holding Deere or Mosaic or other Ag dependent companies at this time. Timber!!!

[porphyrian]

4. Republican obstructionists in Congress are neither fooling nor endearing themselves with farmers.

This is based on the political signage I've seen in Iowa so far.