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Summary:
Will an extension of current law be needed if Congress does not enact a new farm bill before September 30, 2007? Commodity provisions of the 2002 farm bill apply to crops harvested in 2007, and farmers entitled to payments will receive them even after September 30. Also, with past history as the example, it is unlikely that expired authority to appropriate funds will constrain the congressional appropriations process. With appropriations, basic nutrition programs would continue. But, these programs present some unique issues that would not be resolved without action beyond a regular appropriation. Looking back, the 1990 farm bill expired in 1995, but Congress did not adopt the replacement legislation until the spring of 1996.
