Senate agriculture committee approves farm bill

The US Senate began consideration last week of the Farm Bill it voted out of committee, and a motion to reform US sugar subsidies and market incentives was defeated, 45-54. The Sugar Reform Act, which was supported by the confectioners industry and International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) but opposed by sugarcane growers, would lower price support levels. The House of Representatives is likely to wait until the week of June 17 to take up its version of the Farm Bill.