The Senate Ag Committee is attempting to move ahead with putting together a new farm bill while the House Ag Committee is held up on a party line dispute over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson doesn’t think they’re going to be able to get a farm bill passed this year which he says is disappointing.

He says that measure was suppose to be completed in 2012 but got pushed back to 2014. Johnson also says the last time the farm bill was completed, commodity prices were relatively high which is a completely different circumstance than what farmers are facing now.

Johnson says by passing an extension, farm bill writers are taking program choices away from farmers.

Johnson says he thinks the Senate Ag Committee leaders can work in a bi partisan way to get a farm bill completed but their problem will be getting time for consideration on the full Senate Floor. He says that floor time won’t happen if the House remains bogged down or sticks to a partisan measure.