The upcoming farm bill is one of the biggest issues, Colin Woodall, NCBA director of legislative affairs, told producers at the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) winter conference on Dec. 7.

He said several factors are in place that are different than in 2002, when the last farm bill was written. Among those is the federal deficit.

“In 2002, Congress had money to burn. But, today we have a deficit, so it is going to be difficult to write a farm bill of that caliber,” he said.

Woodall expects some subsidies and other payment programs to be scaled back, but said the 2007 version could be similar to 2002 when it comes to specific programs.

“I think conservation will be a big part of it, and that has been an area identified by our members as an area for us to champion,” he said. “Where the funding comes from, I don’t know, but I expect conservation to be a big part of it.”

Source: Iowa Farmer Today