As the House of Representatives departs Washington this week for the election recess, the American Soybean Association (ASA) is disappointed that the House failed to take up a comprehensive, five-year farm bill. ASA President Steve Wellman, a soybean farmer from Syracuse, Neb., voiced the association’s frustrations in the following statement:

"The American Soybean Association cannot overstate our disappointment in the House of Representatives for ignoring the voices of American farmers. In no uncertain terms, Congress has let farmers down by not taking action on a new five-year farm bill.

"It is a sad statement on the perceived lack of importance of rural America in Washington when a bipartisan bill that provides certainty for farmers, livestock disaster assistance, nutrition programs, crop insurance improvements, conservation of our natural resources and reduces our Nation’s budget deficits is shelved in favor of scoring political points in an election year.

"Members of Congress will now return to their districts to court votes from the same farmers whose calls for Congressional action to enact a new farm bill were ignored. These hard-working, devoted men and women are a constituency as valuable as any other, and we encourage all soybean farmers to voice their concerns with their representatives in the coming weeks.

"When members of Congress return after the election in November, the excuses and the foot-dragging must stop, and the House must dedicate itself to passing a new comprehensive five-year farm bill that provides farmers with the stability, security and certainty they need while doing agriculture’s part to contribute to deficit reduction. Anything less will be another failure by Washington on the part of American farmers."

ASA represents all U.S. soybean farmers on domestic and international issues of importance to the soybean industry. ASA’s advocacy efforts are made possible through the voluntary membership in ASA by more than 21,000 farmers in 31 states where soybeans are grown.

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For more information contact:

Steve Wellman, ASA President, 402-269-3464, wellmanfarms@sbllcweb.com
Patrick Delaney, ASA Communications Director, 202-969-7040, pdelaney@soy.org