On July 31 the Senate voted to move to conference on the farm bill by a voice vote. Following the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer named nine members as conferees to the 2018 farm bill debate.

Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)

“This strong group of Senate conferees knows how to work together on a bipartisan basis to get the farm bill across the finish line,” said Roberts and Stabenow. “We look forward to beginning the conference process, so we can provide certainty to our farmers, families, and rural communities. ”  Two weeks ago, the House moved to reject the Senate farm bill and move to conference. The nine Senators will join the forty-seven House members to reconcile differences between the two bills.

The top four agriculture lawmakers, known as the “Big Four”, have already begun discussing conference issues and Chairman Roberts has said he hopes to schedule a full committee meeting at the end of August.  Click here to view the House Democrat and Republican members of the committee.