11-8-13 farm bill

The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation says its top federal legislative priority remains passage of a farm bill this year.  The Farm Bureau recently sent  a letter to Wisconsin’s congressional delegation that outlines its priorities in the multi-year spending package on federal food and farm programs.

Farm Bureau government relations director, Karen Gefvert, says another extension would only delay reforms that benefit farmers and taxpayers.  Gefvert says the Farm Bureau wants the elimination of direct payments so farmers can base planting decisions and produce commodities for the marketplace instead of a government program.  She says the bureau also wants to see reform to federal dairy policies and supports the House’s Goodlatte-Scott amendment with some reservations.  She says agriculture generates more than $59 billion annually to Wisconsin’s economy and nearly half of that total comes from the dairy industry.  Gefvert was a guest on AM 1170 WFDL's Between the Lines program.