(AP) — Kansas farmers remain leery of the scaled-down farm bill passed by the U.S. House as they wait to see what actually makes it into
law. But the competing versions for now preserve the one thing most cherished here — crop insurance subsidies.
Kansas Farm Bureau president Steve Baccus says the bill is good for Kansas agriculture.
It maintains conservation programs and keeps export market development and assistance programs that promote U.S. agricultural products overseas. And most importantly, he says the bill keeps the crop insurance program.
But gone from both the House and Senate versions of the bill are subsidies that are paid regardless whether a recipient farms or not.
Kansas farmers collected $927 million in agricultural subsidies last year.