Budget deficits will play a role in crafting the nation’s next multi-year agriculture spending bill, a
key U.S. senator said Tuesday.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow — chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and
Forestry — expects hearings on the next Farm Bill could begin within two months or so.
“I think our biggest challenge is the overall budget and the deficit and making sure that we’re
doing our part in being fiscally responsible,” Stabenow, D-Michigan, told reporters after
speaking at a Michigan Agri-Business Association conference. “That is very, very important.”
The next Farm Bill is expected in 2012. The legislation typically covers a five-year period and
sets the federal government’s financial support for the agriculture sector. It also shapes
nutrition, agricultural energy research and many other programs.
A key item falling under more scrutiny could be what Stabenow calls the “safety net” for farm
producers — the mix of direct payments to growers and crop insurance that helps growers
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