Senate passes 2013 Farm Bill

Earlier this evening, the United States Senate passed their version of the 2013 Farm Bill with a vote of 66-27. The Senate’s version reduces the federal deficit with the elimination of direct payments and strengthens the farm safety net. Projections show an overall reduction in spending of $24 billion over a ten-year period.

“We thank Senate leaders for their ability to compromise, taking the first big step toward bringing America’s farmers the certainty they need moving forward,” said South Dakota Corn Growers Association president, Mark Gross. “Our organization’s No. 1 priority has been to preserve a crop insurance program that protects farmers during disasters.”

If you take a look at the pie chart above, you will see that crop insurance takes up around 9% of the bill’s funding, while 80% of the dollars goes to Food Stamp programs which aim to assist the less fortunate with nutritional support.

With today’s passage by the Senate, it will now be up to the United States House of Representatives who are expected to take up the Farm Bill sometime within the next few weeks.

“We urge the House of Representatives to continue this progress by proceeding with their farm bill debate immediately with hope that they can reach an agreement before the expiration of the current farm bill extension this September,” said Gross.