Congress passed a 2 week extension of the current Farm Bill late last week.  Farm Bill Conferees have had meetings lasting late into the night to reach agreement on major principles of the next Farm Bill.  During the week there were continued negotiations, threats of a veto by the President, more negotiations, etc. 

Conference Agreement as related to Conservation focused on payment limitations for the Wetlands Reserve Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.  The Conferees agreed on a WRP payment structure to make payments over several years -- if the payment is less than $50,000 it can be made in one lump-sum payment; if between $50,000 and $500,000 it can be made over 5-30 years; if over $500,000 it can be made over 10-30 years.  The Secretary can waive these payment timeframes with justification and public notice.    

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