Lawmakers are resigned to the likely eventuality that the farm bill will be subject to an extension -- possibly up to a year, maybe shorter. The one hope of a quick farm bill seems to be its inclusion in some sort of budget agreement. The latest speculation on that front centers on the following: Congress and the White House working toward a down payment on the deficit; Congress and the White House agreeing to parameters on a longer-term entitlement reform debate; The farm bill, with its $20 billion-plus savings, adjusted for partial or full year 2013 direct payments, and some other accounting transitions be added to the "down payment" bill; and, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) being spun out of the farm bill a...

TAGS – Biofuels, Energy