WASHINGTON, D.C. _ U.S. Rep. Blaine Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-3) issued the following statement after the House passed a bipartisan Farm Bill compromise that will save taxpayers more than $23 billion over 10 years:

“As a longtime proponent of agriculture, I was pleased today to support the passage of the Farm Bill conference report. Agriculture is the most vital industry to Missouri’s economy, and passage of this five year bill prior to the upcoming planting season will provide our hard-working farmers and ranchers with long overdue and much needed certainty. In doing so, our state and others across the nation can work to ensure the American people continue to have the most safe and abundant food supply in the world.  This bill is the result of long-term, bi-partisan negotiations and is certainly not perfect but it does contain the most drastic cost-saving overhaul of federal commodity programs in Farm Bill history and the first substantive, cost-saving reforms to nutrition programs since welfare reform nearly 20 years ago.  I urge my Senate colleagues to act quickly and get this bill on the President’s desk as soon as possible so we can provide our farm communities with the opportunity to succeed and put them on the road to financial security.”