House and Senate Agriculture Committee announced Nov. 29 that a tentative agreement has been reached on a new farm bill.

"We're pleased to announce that we've reached an agreement in principle on the 2018 farm bill," read a joint statement issued by House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairmen Mike Conaway (R-TX) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Members Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). "We are working to finalize legal and report language as well as CBO scores, but we still have more work to do. We are committed to delivering a new farm bill to America as quickly as possible."

The agreement comes two months after the expiration of the 2104 farm bill and just weeks before a new Congress will be seated, which presented the possibility of having to start negotiations from scratch if an agreement had not been reached.

The agreement scraps a House Republican-backed plan that added new work requirements for older food stamp recipients and for parents with children age 6 or younger.

Among the produce industry groups buoyed by the new agreement is California Citrus Mutual, which considers it a "significant win" for the state's citrus growers, with the inclusion of a $25 million five-year package to fund research to combat the invasive insect Asian citrus psyllid and Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease.

"The trust fund language is a significant win for U.S. citrus growers," CCM President Joel Nelsen said in a statement. "It's critical for the future of our industry and the domestic citrus market that we continue to invest in research aimed to find a solution for HLB.

"On behalf of the California citrus industry, I want to thank the lead farm bill negotiators in both houses for their commitment to passing a farm bill that includes this vital funding for the U.S. citrus industry and specialty crops."