Congress Back to Work on Farm Bill Legislation

Oct 21, 2013

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

After a 16 day partial federal U.S. government shutdown, Congress is moving forward on business, which includes the farm bill. Talks are expected to start up again on Monday and continue for the rest of the week.

The 2008 Farm Bill extension expired Sept. 30, with no new bill currently in place. There are several different components to the bill, including crop insurance and perhaps the most contentious, food assistance - which Republicans and Democrats have yet to find a compromise.

It comes down to numbers. The Republicans advocate to cut food stamps by $40 billion, while Democrats propose a $4.5 billion cut. Let’s see if the House and Senate can reconcile its food and farm issues to draft a new Farm Bill law this week.

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.