Congressman Don Davis confirmed what is pretty much accepted as a given: there won’t be a new farm bill by Sept. 30 when provisions of the current farm bill expire. 

Speaking at the annual membership meeting of the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association Sept. 7, following the 71^st annual peanut field day at the Peanut Belt Research Station in Lewiston-Woodville, the first-term Democrat, who represents North Carolina’s 1st congressional district, said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glen “G.T.” Thompson, a Republican from Pennsylvania, has said the bill could make it through markup in the House Agriculture Committee by the end of September.  

But Davis said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ken.) has “come out and point blank said that September is unrealistic.” 

Davis serves on both the House Agriculture Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. His first congressional district is in northeastern North Carolina and comprises 19 of the top agricultural counties in the state, stretching from the border of Virginia, extending southward into several counties of the Inner Banks and the Research Triangle. Davis was elected to his first term in 2022. 

“Right now, in some of the internal conversations that I’ve had, is that they will try to get the markup by December,” Davis told the peanut growers. 

Related:Thompson: Extend current farm bill

“Different parts of the farm bill expire at different times. It’s not like everything is expiring all at once. Different components expire at different times. Some components technically do not expire. They’re permanent provisions,” Davis explained. 

Davis urged the peanut farmers to make their voices heard and weigh on the farm bill because “this process is still ongoing, and it is indeed a process.” He urged them to contact his office with their ideas on the farm bill. 

“We’ve been hammered for so long, we haven’t always gotten our fair share. Here is my commitment: to listen and to be your voice, to share what I’m hearing in Washington, D.C. so that we can work every single day to make life better for our families. And we can stick in front of that our farm families because this is a way of life for us,” Davis said.