01/29/14 Senator Joe Donnelly Tuesday welcomed the House-Senate compromise on a five-year farm bill, highlighting the importance of giving the Hoosier ag community the certainty it deserves.
“Finally, after years of negotiations, we have a farm bill,” said Donnelly. “While the bill is not perfect, it represents a bipartisan agreement that will give the Hoosier ag community the certainty it needs to continue feeding our country and being a vital part of Indiana’s economy. I call on my colleagues to quickly pass this bill and for the president to sign it into law.”
Included in the compromise is Donnelly’s amendment to the Senate farm bill that he introduced with Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS). Their amendment would amend the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program to offer coverage for crops producing feedstock for energy purposes. The amendment would also direct USDA to research and develop risk management tools promising new sorghum crops. Read their full, original amendment here.
Donnelly said of his amendment, “Many of Indiana’s farmers continue to contribute to our domestic energy security, so I am pleased that the final agreement included my amendment to give the next generation of bioenergy crops access to base levels of risk management.”
Read more about Donnelly’s efforts on the farm bill and other agricultural issues here.
