House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott, D-Ga., is calling on Congress to pass a one-year extension of the farm bill. Scott said extending the legislation is the “responsible” thing to do because it will provide farmers, ranchers and foresters an element of certainty as Congress continues working on a long-term bill.

“While we continue the bipartisan effort on the House Agriculture Committee to craft a new farm bill, the extremism and cynicism that has taken hold of the broader House Republican Conference makes a five-year farm bill reauthorization by the year's end increasingly unlikely,” Scott said. “Therefore, I am calling on my colleagues to support a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill.”

While there does seem to be strong support for an extension on the House and Senate agriculture committees, it remains unclear what it will take to get one passed in the full House and Senate. There has been speculation that an extension could happen in conjunction with a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown later this month.

House Republicans recently sent an open letter to newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson calling for the swift passage of a new farm bill. They say the letter was intended to highlight the critical importance of federal policies helping farm, ranch and forester families.

“Simply put, farm and food security is national security,” the Republican lawmakers said in their letter. “For a mere one-fifth of one percent of federal spending, the farm safety net, including commodity support programs and crop insurance, provides farmers and ranchers the foundation they need to manage risk, pass their farm or ranch down to the next generation, and continue producing the highest quality, lowest cost food, fuel, fiber, and forestry products in the world.”