House passes one-year Farm Bill extension

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Congress took the first step at keeping the government open Tuesday with the passing of a stop-gap measure.

Some believe this is a step in the right direction, especially when it comes to the current Farm Bill.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the House approved a spending bill that includes an extension for the 2018 Farm Bill.

It expired in September, and lawmakers are currently working on the next measure, which they hope to have done by the end of the year.

As it stands, crop insurance programs will continue because they are authorized by permanent law with mandatory funding.

The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) will also continue unabated.

“The Farm Bill we’re operating under is pretty good and needs a few updates, particularly for reference prices, because we’re in a much higher cost environment for producers than we were five years ago, but extending the Farm Bill for a year is going to give producers some predictability they need right now,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-South Dakota).

Most lawmakers agree that an extension is better than nothing at the moment, but they add that new legislation could be more beneficial for farmers.

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