Farm Bill Conferees Postpone Meeting on Tentative Agreement

Farm bill conferees have postponed a meeting on a tentative spending agreement reached Friday, according to staffers for two conference committee members. The meeting, which was scheduled for 6 p.m. today, had been postponed until tomorrow morning, with the time yet to be determined.

Staffers for conferees said the meeting was postponed due to members’ conflicting travel schedules.

Principal members of the farm bill’s conference committee reached a tentative agreement Friday on a spending framework for the bill–a framework they had been working on since February. Those members are expected to present that tentative agreement to the full conference committee tomorrow.

That agreement outlined $10 billion in added farm bill spending, along with some guidelines for allocation. After the full conference committee reaches an agreement on that framework, the debate will turn to more specific allocation of funds.

Friday’s agreement was reached by Reps. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), as well as Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.)–all chairmen and ranking members of committees related to the farm bill.