WASHINGTONLawmakers are close to unveiling a farm bill that could be voted on this week, according to national media reports.
The House and Senate have reportedly reached a compromise that would result in $9 billion in cuts over a decade, according to FoxNews.com. Two sources with knowledge of the talks told the news network that they hoped to file a final conference report today and vote in the House by Wednesday.
The farm bill conferees are comprised of 41 lawmakers, many of whom have strong ties to the agriculture industry.
The Democrat-controlled Senate passed a farm bill over the summer that would yield $24 billion in cuts to agriculture programs, but the Republican-led House rejected the package and opted to split food stamps from a broader farm bill.
The agriculture industry has raised concerns that dairy prices could spike without a farm bill because the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would have to revert back to decades-old laws.
Aids told The Washington Post that talks on Capitol Hill still focused on settling concerns over whether to end price controls on the dairy industry.
Media outlets said lawmakers also were discussing "country of origin labeling" regulations that require certain meats specify the country where an animal was raised, born and slaughtered. The meat industry last year challenged the regulations in federal court.
Last year's expiration of the farm bill left a number of conservation programs without funding and eliminated direct payments in the event of a crisis for the agricultural industry.