Timely passage of the farm bill and year-round E15 are on the wish list for Minnesota Senator Tina Smith. E15 may need to be addressed in Ways and Means or the energy committee rather than the agriculture committee. Smith says that’s not a big hurdle. “If we could find agreement, then we could always find a place for year-round E15, to ride along.” The supplemental funding bill is one option. Smith said it could also be added to the farm bill on the floor. The House could vote on a farm bill before Easter, but the Senate timeline will likely be delayed until late spring or early summer. In an interview with the Red River Farm Network, Smith was asked if election-year politics could impact the farm bill process. “It’s always a worry, and it sort of breaks my heart. I have about eight months left in the United States Senate, and it would be so sad not to be able to get this last farm bill done.” The traditional farm and nutrition coalition that passed previous farm bills “has been broken and that does make it harder.” Click this link to hear the full interview.
