Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) was named to the House-Senate conference committee on the farm bill on Saturday.
The bipartisan committee was created to work through the differences between the House-proposed farm bill and the Senate-proposed bill.
“Our farmers and ranchers are being asked to produce more food and fiber than ever before to feed and clothe our country,” Neugebauer said. “They put a lot on the line to do that every year, risking droughts, floods and uncertain markets.”
Neugebaurer said farming is a business, and farmers need certainty to be able to make long-term plans. He said the farm bill is especially important for farmers to enable them to meet growing global demand.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the House’s farm bill included reforms to cut spending and strengthen the agriculture and food stamp programs.
“I’m confident that the negotiating team named today will do an excellent job of ushering these reforms through Congress and to the president’s desk,” Boehner said.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) said the farm bill’s reforms would cut billions of dollars and contain policies supporting agriculture across the country.
“There are challenging issues yet to overcome, but we have a solid team of negotiators in place,” Lucas said.
Boehner selected 17 House Republicans to serve on the bipartisan House-Senate committee.