Congressman Tim Walz is applauding the formation of the Farm Bill Now coalition which is comprised of thirty-nine of the nation's leading agricultural organizations. These organizations are all working together towards the same goal of raising public awareness and pushing Congress to pass the five year Farm Bill.
                        
Walz has advocated strongly for House leadership to bring the five-year Farm Bill forward. The bill passed out of the Agriculture Committee with a strong bipartisan vote of 35-11, but leadership has stonewalled and refused to allow a vote on the five-year bill by the full House of Representatives.
                       
The 2012 Farm Bill is ready to go. And, after hearing directly from southern Minnesotans, includes many of the provisions Congressman Walz authored..
                       
In addition, the five year Farm Bill makes the USDA more efficient by streamlining many programs to cut down on unnecessary paperwork and overly burdensome regulations for farmers. It eases access to lines of credit so that farmers who want to expand their business have the tools necessary to do so. And it reforms out-of-date dairy policy and strengthens crop insurance to protect taxpayers while also making sure farmers won't literally lose the farm if disaster strikes.