SD Corn Growers glad House passes farm bill

The South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA) is pleased that the U.S. House has passed its version of a farm bill, a long-overdue step that paves the way for the two branches of Congress to compromise and craft an agricultural policy to serve the country in the coming years.
“We didn’t like the politics, the process or some of the policy, but we do support passage of the bill,” SDCGA President Mark Gross said. “This vote gets us to the next inning of the game. We’re hopeful with this part of the process done that a conference committee can work out the differences between the Senate and House bills so we can finally get a farm bill approved. We can’t afford to keep pushing this issue back.”
The SDCGA doesn’t believe the House went far enough in reforming the commodity title policy, which includes direct payments, counter-cyclical payments and other programs. Those reforms would save taxpayers money.
“A strong crop insurance program has, and will continue to be, our association’s No. 1 priority,” SDCGA Executive Director Lisa Richardson said. “Farmers don’t want handouts. What they do want is a safety net to protect them from losing their farms in times of disasters. We urge Congress to make the farm bill a priority and approve a good, responsible bill before the current farm bill extension expires in September.”