Sen. Johnson Talks Farm Bill In Huron

by Jeff Rusack, Reporter
November 20, 2012 7:31 PM


“We'd like a little more help every once in a while instead of always being the underdog. But, that's life,” said Franny Fritz of Iroquois.  

For some who aren't on a farm everyday, renewing a farm bill may not be a focus of their daily worries.

But, just ask someone like Franny Fritz and she'll explain how a piece of legislation can be so important for her and her neighbors.

“If I don't have a farm bill, I don't have a guarantee,” said Fritz.  

What Senator Johnson and the rest of the Senate agreed on would be a 5-year farm bill.

If The House doesn't pass the bill, there could be a one-year extension of the current farm bill.  

“There isn't enough cement underneath me. I don't like quicksand and that's basically what a one year extension would be. It would be continuing the quicksand and we don't need quicksand. We need something that is solid under us,” said Fritz.  

Parts of the farm bill incorporate crop insurance. And for a farmer from Winner still dealing with a drought, continuity in a farm bill can help years into the future.

“If you can't plan down the road you can’t plan rotations, you can't go out and say well I'm going to build this ground up,” said Farmer Joel Keierleber.  

While Senator Johnson can't directly impact the farm bill now, he says he plans to take the opinions of the farmers he met Tuesday to his colleagues in Washington D.C.