Following this afternoon’s vote in the House of Representatives on the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act, ASA called on the House to quickly name its conferees with the Senate and get to work reconciling the farm and food legislation in the two chambers. The House bill represents the nutrition portion of farm legislation split off earlier this summer in an attempt to pass individual, freestanding bills.

“Now that the House has moved through its farm and food bills, it is time to get to work passing a single piece of comprehensive legislation that provides farmers the certainty they need to continue producing and making the long term investments needed for a steady and reliable source of safe and affordable food, fiber and fuel on which our friends and neighbors in communities across the country depend,” said ASA President Danny Murphy. “This process has gone on for more than three years now, and we still have no long-term legislation in place. That is entirely too long. The current farm bill, which already been extended once by Congress, expires on September 30 and with it authority and funding for key market development, conservation, agricultural research, and price support programs. These are the real consequences of Congressional inaction, and we expect the House to appoint its conferees as soon as possible, and we call on both chambers to work across party lines to craft a bill that addresses the needs of both farmers and consumers.”