4CONTINUED FROM 14 A new farm bill must be passed every 5 years, and it’s that time again. The current bill expires in September. But legislative work on the next farm bill began 3 years ago. It never really ends. The House Agriculture Commitee, for example, had 117 hearings on the bill’s issues between 2015 and 2017. U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, a Democrat from East Moline sits on the committee, and was at the Farmer Update Meeting to talk, among other things, about the farm bill. The committee is working on the House version of the bill, while the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry work on the Senate version. Bustos said as the state’s top industry continues to evolve, younger farmers are adapting to new arenas in the field, and legislators need to adovate for the agriculture community as the bill is crafted. “We’ve got to start thinking big and bold, and that’s going to come at a cost,” Bustos, who represents the ag-heavey 17th Congressional District, said. She said the biggest challenge facing those in farm bill talks is President Donald Trump’s proposed 21 percent cut to the USDA’s budget. “It’s critical that we start on it very early,” Bustos said. “The closer we are to November 2018 [midterm elections],
Alex T. Paschal/NorthCentral Illinois Ag Mag
Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, speaks Dec. 15 during the 28th annual Farmer Update Meeting at Deer Valley Country Club in Deer Grove. the less our chances to get it passed are.” Even lawmakers who aren’t on the committees forming the next farm bill are talking about it with constituents. U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Channahon who represents the 16th Congressional District, met
with members of his citizen group Agriculture Advisory Committee last month in Ottawa. He said getting input from the 27 community leaders from the agriculture industry on the farm bill was a priority. CONTINUED ON 164
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