House Ag Chairman: Farm bill when lawmakers return

Blue soybean plants and brown corn stalks -- that’s what U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas, the chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, says he saw as he made his way through central Illinois on Tuesday.

Compiled by staff

Published: Aug 8, 2012

Lucas, who’s also a Oklahoma farmer, helped steer new multi-year farm and disaster relief legislation through his committee last month. But he told farmers and others at an economic summit held in Bloomington the votes just were not there to get a new farm bill through the U.S. House of Representatives. He suspects that may change after members of Congress hear from constituents during the August recess.

“This horrendous drought, from here across Indiana, from here to Colorado back to the Rio Grande River will cause members…to pay attention to what’s going on,” says Lucas. “Suddenly, agriculture will matter again. I think when we come back in September, we get floor time.”

The Illinois Farm Bureau co-sponsored the event held by the McLean County Chamber of Commerce. President Philip Nelson said he also stressed to Lucas the need for Congress to extend the estate tax exemption for farmers before the end of 2012.

“If we don’t…we’ll go from the $5 million and $10 million exemption threshold reverting back to $1 and 2 million,” says Nelson. “This could have severe consequences on a number of our members.”

Nelson says failure to continue the federal estate tax exemption could hamper the ability of some Illinois farmers to pass their farms on to family members who want to continue to farm.

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