Dairymen Disappointed about No Farm Bill
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The head of the Idaho Dairymens Association says his members are disappointed that Congress wasn't able to pass a federal farm bill with provisions to help the struggling industry before the election. Bob Naerebout says dairy farmers "harvest a crop every day, 365 days of the year" and it's critical for them to have stability in the farm bill. The industry has suffered through nine months of losses. The farm bill cleared the Senate, but it has languished in the House. House GOP leaders say they didn't have the necessary votes, with conservatives demanding deeper food stamp cuts and Democrats opposing such austerity. After Congress quit Saturday, a bill likely won't be voted on until after Election Day. U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, who represents Idaho's dairy country, pushed for a vote this month. Rep. Raul Labrador declined to publicly back a September vote, however, saying he wants more-robust spending reductions in the bill.