Peterson's victory

Here is the link to the audio file of Chairman Peterson's remarks and a Q and A in a teleconference with reporters on Friday. He is a tired but victorious chairman. I offer the complete hour long plus session on the blog with the advice that only farm bill junkies should download.Peterson is asked about if anything could have been done to prevent the squabble with Republicans over the tax issue. He is also asked about the WTO cotton case, the case for the transfer of border inspectors from the DHS to the USDA and a myriad of other issues. He was commended for his accessibility throughout the farm bill process, and in that respect I heartily concur. From the speedy manner that Peterson deal with markup to his availability for a weekly teleconference, Peterson has set the bar high for the Senate Agriculture Committee. He was asked during the press conference if the House bill could serve as the standard for the Senate's consideration. "Far be it from me to tell the U.S. Senate what to do.".... and then he proceeded to say that yes, the House farm bill has broad support from farm organizations and has found a way to satisfy a broad array of interests. Particularly on the issue of COOL, Peterson said there is not much more that the Senate could do to address the issue than what the House has done.

Some other coverage of Peterson this weekend:

Peterson on Farm Bill Passage

Harkin thinks Senate can improve on House farm bill

House passes new farm bill