After years of delays, public negotiations on a new five-year Farm Bill are scheduled to begin next week, lawmakers announced Wednesday. The first public meeting of the Farm Bill conference committee will be held on the Oct. 30, and will be chaired by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.).
Congress has until Jan. 1 to pass a new Farm Bill otherwise parts of federal agricultural policy will begin reverting back to 1940s-era laws and price levels.