Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the head of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, is optimistic that Congress will vote on a $500 billion Farm Bill soon after the Nov. 6 election. Her outlook is based in part on a comment made by Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., during his Oct. 24 fundraising visit to Boise, Idaho. Cantor said that the House will vote on a stalled Farm Bill during the post-election lame duck session.

The Idaho Statesman also quoted Cantor as saying that he's committed to bringing the Farm Bill to the floor and then finding a way to get the votes to pass it.

According to The Des Moines Register, Stabenow was "very pleased" to hear that Cantor is planning to bring the Farm Bill to a vote immediately after the election.

Some political analysts, however, have suggested that Congress could delay passage of a new five-year Farm Bill until spring, in order to allow lawmakers to focus on avoiding the "fiscal cliff," with its mandatory U.S. budget cuts, that is scheduled to kick in at midnight on Dec. 31.

If a long-term Farm Bill isn’t approved, Stabenow has said that milk prices could be affected as soon as January. PD

—Compiled from various sources

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