Last week National Association of State Department of Agriculture members set their policy priorities at their winter conference in Washington, D.C. Nebraska State Agriculture Director Steve Wellman says they center around the new farm bill, infrastructure and rural broadband.

He says it’s hard to say which of those priorities has the best chance of passing. Wellman says it’s really difficult to determine when the farm bill will be written and passed.

Wellman says paying for needed safety net improvements in the farm bill will be a challenge.

Wellman says getting a solid infrastructure package approved is critical for agriculture, especially with the need for reaching international markets.