Local agriculture experts react to farm bill passage in US house

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The US House of Representatives voted to approve the farm bill. It's the first one to make it through a chamber of Congress since 2018.

"It's nice to finally have that hurdle cleared, the first hurdle as far as it getting through the house," said Tim Stock, the executive vice president of the Macon County Farm Bureau. "We've been waiting since 2023 to have something done. Here we are three years later, and now we wait and see what the Senate is going to do."

A big point of controversy is E15 fuel and the restrictions on when it can be sold. Illinois Rep. Nikki Budzinski has been fighting for a new farm bill, but was disappointed year-long allowance of E15 wasn't included.

"I was disappointed in the farm bill, the final version that came up for us for a vote this week," Budzinski said. "I just don't think it meets the moment of the crisis in our farm economy right now. I have been pushing for year-round E15 to be something to be included for a vote on the farm as a part of the farm bill package."

Budzinski said increased E15 sales would help corn farmers in the area use the surplus they have from a rough trade year last year. Stock agrees that including E15 would have been beneficial for Illinois farmers.

"The E15 was definitely a downfall, because with that guaranteed market now off the table, farmers are going to start looking towards the trade side of things," Stock said. "If the trade falls through, then we're going to have an overabundant supply of corn and that drives prices down."

Doug Gucker, an educator in commercial agriculture with the University of Illinois Extension Office, agreed that the E15 issue would make the year harder for farmers. He sees it as a part of a larger issue with trade options.

"Farmers want trade, not aid," Gucker said. "That's really what farmers want. When you grow something, you want it to go somewhere, not just to sit waiting in the surplus pile it somewhere. That is the issue we're facing right now, as we've lost export markets."

Gucker did say overall, the farm bill is helpful. He cited improvements with crop insurance and loan rates for new farmers. Stock was also excited to see improvements to the process of getting new farmers into the fields.