The Senate Agriculture Committee today unveiled its version of the farm bill. This draft was hammered out by committee chairman Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, and ranking minority member Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan. In the course of drafting it, the two repeatedly expressed a commitment to proposal with bipartisan support.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall released the following statement, “America’s farmers and ranchers are facing an economic storm across the countryside, so the release today of the Senate Farm Bill is a crucial step to move the very important farm bill process forward. Farm income is at a decade low. Farm debt is on the rise and international markets for our farm goods are in jeopardy. The Senate Agriculture Committee, led by Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, have worked hard to address those economic challenges and assemble a bipartisan bill that provides the clarity, policy certainty and vital risk protection tools that our farmers need now more than ever. We look forward to next week’s markup of the bill and to working with the Senate to move this farm bill forward. It is important that the Senate bill strikes a balance that will help set the overall congressional tone for getting the farm bill done this year.”

The Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hold a markup of the bill next week.