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Farm bill talks focus on size of food stamp cuts

“In the middle of the chaos of the last month comes opportunity,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar.Jim Mone/Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The fight over renewing the nation’s farm bill has centered on cuts to the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program. But there could be unintended consequences if no agreement is reached: higher milk prices.

Members of the House and Senate are scheduled to begin long-awaited negotiations on the five-year, roughly $500 billion bill this week. If they don’t finish it, dairy supports could expire at the end of the year and send the price of a gallon of milk skyward.

There could be political ramifications, too. The House and Senate are far apart on the sensitive issue of how much money to cut from food stamps, and lawmakers are hoping to resolve that debate before election-year politics set in.

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Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat and a negotiator on the bill, said the legislation could also be a rare opportunity for the two chambers to show they can get along.

‘‘In the middle of the chaos of the last month comes opportunity,’’ Klobuchar said. ‘‘This will really be a test of the House of whether they are willing to work with us.’’

The farm bill, which sets policy for farm subsidies, food stamps, and other rural development projects, has moved slowly through Congress in the last two years as lawmakers have focused on higher-profile priorities, such as budget negotiations, health care, and immigration legislation.

But farm-state lawmakers are appealing to their colleagues to harken back to more bipartisan times and do something Congress has not done very much lately — pass a major piece of legislation.

Even President Obama, who has been largely silent on the farm bill as it has wound through Congress, said as the government reopened earlier this month that the farm bill ‘‘would make a huge difference in our economy right now.’’

‘‘What are we waiting for?’’ Obama said. ‘‘Let’s get this done.’’

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The main challenge in getting the bill done will be the differences on food stamps, officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The House has passed legislation to cut around $4 billion annually, or around 5 percent, including changes in eligibility and work requirements. The Senate has proposed a cut of around a tenth of that amount, and Senate Democrats and President Obama have strongly opposed any major changes to the program.

The cost of SNAP has more than doubled over the last five years as the economy struggled, and Republicans say it should be more focused on the neediest people. Democrats say it is working as it should when times are tough.

‘‘I think there are very different world views clashing on food stamps and those are always more difficult to resolve,’’ said Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union.

One of the reasons the bill’s progress has moved slowly is that most of farm country is enjoying a good agricultural economy, and farmers have not clamored for changes in policy. But with deadlines looming, many say they need more government certainty to make planting decisions. Most of the current law expired in September, though effects largely won’t be felt until next year.

If Congress allows those supports to expire, 1930s and 1940s-era farm law would kick in, as much as quadrupling the price that the government pays to purchase dairy products.