Congress is currently in the midst of a five-week recess, leaving many pieces of legislation unfinished including a new Farm Bill, according to the Wildlife Management Institute.

In July, the House passed their version of a Farm Bill but could only do so after removing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from the bill. Their version of the legislation deals only with farm-related programs. The Senate passed a comprehensive Farm Bill, including nutrition programs, in June and Senate Farm Bill leaders have said that they would not accept a final bill without the nutrition provisions.

The next step is for the Senate and the House to establish a Conference Committee to work out the differences between the two bills and negotiate a final package that can pass both chambers and be signed into law by the President. The Senate has designated their Conference Committee representatives: Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Max Baucus of Montana, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Pat Roberts of Kansas, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, John Boozman of Arkansas and John Hoeven of North Dakota. The House failed to appoint their conferees prior to adjourning for the August recess.

Most farm programs are currently operating as a result of an extension of the 2008 Farm Bill. That extension expires on September 30 this year. There are just nine working days available for Congress to conduct business before the end of September. Given that and the widely varying views between conservative and liberal lawmakers as to what should be authorized in the Farm Bill and the level of funding for those programs, another extension of the 2008 legislation appears to be likely. (pmr)