• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Agriculture / Lack of new Farm Bill leaves farmers without information to plan ahead

Lack of new Farm Bill leaves farmers without information to plan ahead

August 5, 2013 By Dar Danielson

Congress left Washington for its August recess Friday without passing a new farm bill and the current farm bill extension will expire just weeks after lawmakers are scheduled to return. While Congress is on holiday, some farmers still need to make plans for the future. Riley Lewis grows crops and raises hogs in Winnebago County.

“Even though it’s August, the rents are being renegotiated and the farmers are putting together their packages for next year,” Lewis says. He says it’s hard to commit to rental rates, much less land purchases or capital expenses, when farmers don’t know what crop insurance or other programs will look like. Steve Hemingway farms 25-hundred acres near Iowa City.

“Agriculture is a business and it can be a family business, it can be a commercial business, but it ultimately has to be a busines. And whether or not it deserves subsidization more than other businesses I think is a debate that we don’t seem to have,” Hemingway says. Hemingway says farmers no longer need direct payments, but he fears another last-minute extension will continue those for another year.

The Senate passed a comprehensive farm bill early in the summer. The House separated the food and nutrition portion out of farm bill. That leaves the House and Senate billions of dollars apart and the farm bill in limbo. Congress won’t return to Washington until September ninth.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Agriculture, News, Politics / Govt

Featured Stories

Exhibit features lesser known works of Grant Wood

Testing finds 21 new CWD cases in deer

It may become a crime in Iowa to use fake urine in workplace drug tests

February trending 18 degrees below average temperature

Iowa House Education Committee votes to end tenure at UI, ISU, UNI

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa’s Jack Nunge lost for the season

Key stretch begins for #9 Iowa

Drake’s Roman Penn lost for the season

Drake’s DeVries named to Naismith watch list

State wrestling opens with limited attendance

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC